Underdog role motivates Johns Hopkins
Many have written off Johns Hopkins’ chances of upending No. 5 seed Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this Saturday at 12 p.m., and the Blue Jays’ underdog status has not escaped the attention of the players and coaches.
"Nothing against them because they didn’t say it, but we heard people saying, ‘Well, it looks like Duke is going to have a tough second-round game against North Carolina’ – which immediately writes off us and Delaware," senior midfielder Michael Kimmel said. "I think Delaware is also a great team with some good players. Once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen. … We were relieved to make the playoffs and keep the streak going for 39 straight years at Hopkins, but at the same time, we’re not just satisfied with being in the tournament. That’s not what Hopkins is all about. We expect to battle and see what happens."
Added coach Dave Pietramala: "In the [ESPNU] broadcast, they talked about Duke playing Carolina. That doesn’t slip by players and coaches, but that’s OK. This is a [Blue Devils] team with a really veteran group. They’ve got fifth-year seniors and seniors. It is a very, very talented team. As many seniors they’re playing, we’re playing freshmen. So I understand why people are saying that, and it’s not like we’ve sprinted to the playoffs coming off an undefeated season. But the fact that people are counting you out a little bit, sure, you use that as motivation. Why wouldn’t you?"
If Johns Hopkins (7-7) hopes to upset Duke (12-4), the team could benefit from an appearance by its major freshman contributors on offense. In the last three contests, midfielders John Greeley and John Ranagan have combined for zero goals and one assist. Attackman Zach Palmer has also gone scoreless, but he has been dealing with an unspecified injury.
Pietramala dismissed the notion that the freshmen have run into the proverbial rookie wall.
"Do I think these guys are hitting the wall? No, no, I don’t feel that way," he said. "I don’t look at them at practice and think, ‘Oh, they’re really bad now.’ I just think the games have unfolded, and when you look at Towson and Loyola, where did a lot of the points come from? Those three guys [attackmen Steven Boyle and Kyle Wharton and midfielder Michael Kimmel] we just talked about. If those three guys are scoring a lot of goals, then obviously, the ball’s in their sticks a little bit more."
