The Blue Jays have rebounded nicely from a five-game losing skid, ending the season with five consecutive wins to grab the fifth seed in the NCAA Tournament. But the first-round game pits Johns Hopkins (8-5) against Hofstra (9-5), the team that sent the Blue Jays on their tailspin.

"We don't think they can beat us. We know they can," Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said of the Pride, who prevailed, 8-7, in overtime on March 8. "They've beaten us. So there is a great level of respect we have for them."

Although the Blue Jays have never lost to Hofstra at home in seven meetings and never in the NCAA tournament in three tries, the Pride has won two of the last three matchups. Coach Seth Tierney, the former associate head coach at Johns Hopkins who recruited guys like seniors Paul Rabil, Kevin Huntley and Stephen Peyser, seems to be taking advantage of his inside knowledge.

Hofstra upended Drexel for the Colonial Athletic Association championship and has won four straight courtesy of an opportunistic offense sparked by freshman attackman Jay Card and the improving play of sophomore goalkeeper Danny Orlando.

"They're a very formidable opponent, one that -- quite honestly -- got the better of us," Pietramala said. "They played harder than we did, they played smarter than we did. So when that happens, you have to respect them."

While many players might have preferred tangling with a team they hadn't seen this season, Pietramala said the team can't be concerned with that.

"You can't pick or choose," he said. "We all want to say that this team deserves this and that team deserves that, but the bottom line is it's the NCAA tournament. There are 16 teams selected, and we're one of those 16 teams. We have to go play whoever they put us up against."