It seems that all too often in recent years members of the Johns Hopkins Men’s Lacrosse Team have found themselves in the same uncomfortable position they are in today. Tonight, the Blue Jays look at a primetime matchup with the Syracuse Orange at Homewood Field, the first such nighttime showdown in Baltimore for the two teams. Hopkins is good at beating the top guns in the league, particularly when they are the underdogs. While still ranked by the NCAA, Hopkins has dropped two of their last three games. To understand the position the Jays are in, it is necessary to look back and review the team’s performance earlier in the season.
Steven Boyle has certainly taken charge of his team, both in scoring and in electrifying his fellow players. He sent a strong message in the season opener, and with a career-high six goals, made clear his intentions for his senior season. He also racked up two assists, and helped the team in holding opponent Manhattan scoreless for over fifty-four minutes. At the half, the Jays led 7-0 and it took only a minute and a half of the third quarter for them to tack on two additional goals. Johns Hopkins dominated shooting, groundballs, and faceoffs, as Matt Dolente pulled in an impressive 7/9 faceoffs.
The next game proved similarly impressive for Hopkins. Against Delaware, the Jays charged on a 9-1 scoring run. Boyle again made headlines for the team, combining with Kyle Wharton for a spectacular eleven goals and six assists. Additional scores for Boyle, assisted by senior Michael Kimmel, garnered the win for coach Dave Pietramala and his squad. With 12 saves, goalie Mike Gvozden’s performance helped Hopkins contain Delaware’s offense.
The following weekend, Hopkins hosted Siena at a blustery Homewood Field. That Sunday afternoon, the Jays barely crawled out of a hole, and Michael Kimmel scored in the final minute to hand Hopkins the narrow 8-7 victory. After Siena scored the first goal, the Jays refused to quit and the game remained tight until the very end. Some weaknesses, however, were made visible in Hopkins’s victory. It became even more apparent that the team risks running on a very two-dimensional game, those two dimensions being Mike Kimmel and Steven Boyle. Additionally, the Blue Jays defense did not play effectively in transition, and although Hopkins proved strong on extra-man opportunities, their defense’s performance was troubling.
These troubles would only be exacerbated the following weekend. On a glorious Saturday afternoon, the Jays stepped onto a field following an impressive Maryland overtime win over Duke at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. On national television, the Jays hoped to make an impression. They did just that, but it was not the impression they wanted to leave. Again, the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium witnessed an overtime game, but this time Hopkins dropped the game, falling 11-10 to Princeton. Although Kyle Wharton, Tom Duerr, and Boys’ Latin Graduate Chris Boland made waves for the first time this season, their efforts were not enough. Princeton held Hopkins scoreless for nearly twenty minutes as the halftime break approached. The Tigers were unable to hold the ball at the end of the game, and the Jays had countless opportunities to score, but were unable to do so. When Princeton won the first face-off in overtime, it would only take one, as the Tigers’ Jack McBride charged down the field, firing an assist to teammate MacKenzie for the post-regulation victory. While the loss was Hopkins’s first defeat of the season, it became clear that the Jays had a lot to improve upon. They would need to clean up their game for UMBC.
They did, indeed, clean up their game for UMBC. Four Blue Jays registered hat tricks, and the defense held the Retrievers to one goal in the game’s final twenty minutes. Steven Boyle again led the team with three goals and four assists, and Kimmel scored key back-to-back goals to spark an impressive scoring run. In the second half, the game settled after a first half that saw 14 goals and seven assists.
The next game would be a completely different story. Despite a third quarter comeback for the Jays, Hofstra closed the game on a 6-0 run and refused to budge an inch. Boyle had two goals and an assist, but little support was provided by his teammates. Pietramala pulled Gvozden.
Tonight, the Blue Jays face a series of familiar dynamics. They are playing historic rival Syracuse. The two teams are consistently the most successful in the league, and produce not only the most skilled players, but also the most exciting head-to-head matchups. At home, the Jays are an impressive 64-9 under Coach Pietramala. Additionally, Hopkins holds the league’s number one shooting percentage, at nearly thirty three percent. The team’s wont of innovation, however is concerning. They continue to rely on Boyle (29 pts) and Kimmel (20 pts.)
It will be difficult for them to charge back after the loss to Hofstra. They must focus on ball-handling and transition defense. In recent years, Hopkins has suffered numerous blows and has fallen into multi-game losing streaks. Tonight may be a watershed moment in the season, as the Jays decide whether or not they will again fall into a losing rut. They will certainly need to improve their support for Gvozden and Kyle Wharton and Chris Boland must step forward and put numbers on the scoreboard. If Hopkins can successfully feed off the sold-out crowd at Homewood, expand their horizons beyond Boyle and Kimmel, and be smart with the ball, they can limit dangerous transition situations and should be able to come away with a mark in the win column.
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