Season Saving Save by Nate Cooper

OHHHHHHH! Sam Shafer with the save on the doorstep! Loyola wins! It is Sunday night at Peter Barton Stadium in Denver, Colorado. Loyola is ahead of Denver 14-13. With 35.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Aidan Olmstead fires through the Denver double team towards the open goal. Wide. But Olmstead’s teammate Evan James has the back up. Evan James runs behind the cage to pick up a ball, while his teammate, Peter Swindell, picks up a ball from where it went out, Swindell drops the ball and James replaces him in his spot. In this miscommunication, Denver was able to get the double team on James. Plus, during this time, Denver Head Coach, Bill Tierney calls timeout to talk things over with his squad. If there had not been the miscommunication, Loyola could have gotten a quick whistle, and Denver wouldn’t have been able to call timeout. Off the whistle Olmstead throws the ball to his teammate who is completely covered, he doesn’t catch it and the ball bounces out of bounds… No, it stays in! What a weird bounce. Colin Squires picks up the ball from the ground and passes it ahead to LSM Malik Sparrow. The pass is errant and bounces at Sparrow’s feet. Loose ball with 23 seconds to go. It is complete mayhem in the middle of the field. Everyone is fighting for their season. Jack Hannah attempts to pick it up but it is knocked loose and headed for the sideline. It is a foot race between Hannah and Matt Higgins from Loyola. This is where all those sprints come into play! Both players get to it simultaneously and both try to clean the carpet. Neither player vacuums it up, and the ball ricochets to the sideline and out of play. Everyone on Loyola’s bench has their arms in the air pointing towards their net signaling for their possession. But, the referees converse and award Denver with the ball. Squires picks up the ball with 13 seconds left and quickly pushes it forward to Hannah. He is off to the races looking like Medina Spirit, the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Hannah rolls to the inside on Higgins and the slide is eager to come- not wanting to give Hannah a shot. Simmons backdoor cuts his defender who is ball-watching Hannah. Hannah slings the ball to Simmons with 6 seconds left. Simmons throws a nasty fake, but Shafer doesn’t bite! Simmons shoots… and SAVE! WHAT A SAVE! Sam Shafer with the season saving save! Simmons hurls his stick down and throws his hands over his head trying to hold back his tears. The ball goes right to Morrill who is clutching his stick so hard in nerves that the ball falls out the back. Matt Higgins picks it up and chucks it over the midline. Loyola wins! Fans have their arms way above their heads! Huge upset by Loyola! They will move onto play Duke in the next round.