Conference Semifinals: Loyola, Virginia Continue Turnaround Seasons

Loyola suffered through its worst season in 50 years last year. Now the Greyhounds are on the precipice of the NCAA tournament.

Mason Cook scored a Patriot League tournament-record seven goals to lead Loyola to a 13-8 win over reigning conference champion Colgate in the semifinals Friday in West Point, N.Y. The Greyhounds (10-5) advanced to play tournament host and top seed Army in the championship game Sunday (12 p.m. EDT, CBS Sports Network).

It’s a far cry from 3-11.

But they’re not the only traditional power turning things around. 

Virginia, which last year missed the NCAA tournament for just the second time in the Lars Tiffany era, all but clinched its bid and may have secured a first-round home game with a 15-10 victory over No. 1-ranked Notre Dame in the ACC semifinals in Charlotte, N.C.

The Fighting Irish also had a No. 1 national ranking when the Cavaliers defeated them 11-9 on March 28.
ACC Freshman of the Year Brendan Millon finished with a game-high five points (3g, 2a) despite seeing plenty of ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Shawn Lyght.

Virginia will face North Carolina for the conference championship Sunday. It’s about bragging rights and jostling for NCAA tournament seeds. With just five teams — one shy of the minimum six — the ACC does not receive an automatic qualifier.

✅ Results  
Conference semifinal scores

ACC
(4) Virginia def. (1) Notre Dame 15-10
(2) North Carolina def. (3) Syracuse 12-10

ASUN
(1) Jacksonville def. (4) Mercer 18-3
(3) Air Force def. (2) Utah 13-12

IVY LEAGUE
(1) Cornell def. (4) Harvard 17-8
(2) Princeton def. (3) Yale 12-10

PATRIOT LEAGUE
(1) Army def. (6) Lehigh 13-6
(2) Loyola def. (5) Colgate 13-8

🐎 STILL IN THE RACE 
Conference championship matchups

ACC: (4) Virginia vs. (2) North Carolina
ASUN: (3) Air Force vs. (2) Utah
Ivy League: (2) Princeton vs. (1) Cornell
Patriot Leauge: (2) Loyola vs. (1) Army

🌟 TOP PERFORMANCES

Owen Duffy, North Carolina: Doled out four of his six assists in a fourth quarter that saw the Tar Heels turn a two-goal deficit into a two-goal lead.

Brady Wambach, North Carolina: Scored consecutive goals off faceoff wins and set the Tar Heels' single-season ground balls record, previously held by Jude Collins (160 in 1996).

Mason Cook, Loyola: Actually scored one goal fewer than his career high of eight, which also came against Colgate earlier this season.

Zachary White, Utah: Had four goals and four assists in the loss for the Utes, who fell to Air Force for the second time in six days.

Willem Firth, Cornell: Spearheaded a dominant effort by the Big Red, scoring six goals and adding two assists. The reigning Ivy League and NCAA champion looks dangerous as ever.

Jack Taylor, Jacksonville: Tied career high with eight points (three goals, five assists), as the Dolphins blew out Mercer in the most lopsided postseason win in team history.

📈 NCAA Tournament Impact

The bubble teams appear to be Duke, Yale, Harvard and Maryland, in that order. Losses by Yale and Harvard, plus the win by Virginia (a team Maryland beat in triple overtime) bode well for the Terps.