Loyola Marymount Lions
Overall Rank: #28
#1 West Coast
Loyola Marymount Team Page
Loyola Marymount had a superb 2013 season and won a WCC title with a 9-2-1 record. The Lions’ trip to the NCAA Tournament did not last as long as they had hoped, falling to Stanford in penalty kicks in the first round, but they will get another shot at it. Coach Paul Krumpe has led Loyola Marymount to six NCAA Tournaments during his 16 years heading the program.
2013 Record: 13-4-3, 9-2-1
2013 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Paul Krumpe
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Adrien Perez, Sophomore, M, 11
Assists: John McFarlin, Senior, M, 11
Shots: Adrien Perez, Sophomore, M, 68
Saves: Paul Blanchette, Junior, GK, 55
Other Key Returnees: F Dylan Seedman, F Akio Ohtake-Gordon, M/F Connor Hunsicker, M Juan De Rada, M Ryan Felix, M Leon Prikhodovskiy, D Craig Nitti, D Jack McCracken, D Mark Dotseth
Key Losses: F Pedro Velazquez, M Sean Sears, F Christian Alvarado
Strengths:
Loyola Marymount’s defense ranked tops in the West Coast Conference and that should be the case again in 2014. Keeper Paul Blanchette has two great years under his belt and is ready for even bigger and better things. As a freshman Blanchette watched from the sidelines for just a few games before stepping into the starting lineup. Last season Blanchette allowed just 15 goals in 18 games. The fact that Blanchette only had to make 55 saves is credit to the defense in front of him. Craig Nitti and Jack McCracken were both College Sports Madness second-team All-WCC honorees and Mark Dotseth had a very promising freshman campaign. The return of just about every midfielder on the roster should make it so the defense will not have to scramble due to bad giveaways in the middle of the pitch.
Weaknesses:
During the few times LMU lost in 2013, it was mostly the fault of the offense. In those four losses, the Lions scored just one goal. The team lost each of those games by one goal, so the defense was able to at least keep the team close. Everybody is going to get shutout here and there, so it is tough to say that the offense is a weakness, but there is certainly room for improvement. Few players in the nation had a better freshman campaign than Adrien Perez. The midfielder scored 11 goals and added five assists. Senior John McFarlin dished out 11 assists and added four goals, while Juan De Rada tallied five goals and four assists. Those three will once again be asked to spearhead the offense, but finding another option or two up top would be ideal.
Final Projection:
Loyola Marymount is heading into 2014 with some great momentum. The WCC champions are favored to win another conference title and they should have even higher hopes than that. This was a pretty young team last year and their tournament experience will pay off this year.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 1.70 (34th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Goals-Against Average: 0.85 (36, 1)
Shutout Percentage: 0.35 (55, 2)
Save Percentage: 0.772 (87, 5)
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