Albany at Johns Hopkins: Three things to watch
Albany (4-5) snapped a four-game skid with a 12-11 win against then-No. 20 Harvard last Saturday. On the flipside, No. 4 Johns Hopkins (7-2) is chugging right along after back-to-back decisions against a pair of top-five opponents in Virginia and North Carolina. The Blue Jays have won eight of the nine meetings between these teams, but the Great Danes did shock Johns Hopkins in the 2007 season opener. Here are a few factors that could influence the outcome at Homewood Field in Baltimore on Friday night.
1) Don’t fall into the trap. On paper, the Blue Jays would seem to be heavy favorites. But Albany, which has been plagued by a spate of injuries, appears to be fully healthy with the return of its first midfield of seniors Brian Caufield and Derek Kreuzer and junior Rocky Bonitatibus. That midfield missed the Great Danes’ contest against top-ranked Syracuse last month, but still found a way to score 13 goals en route to a five-goal loss. “What we hope is exactly what we heard in the huddle on Monday, that this is the next game, that the most important game of the season is the next game,” Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. “We need to continue to improve, we need to continue to grow and develop, we need to prepare for every game as if it was our last. I know that’s all coach-speak and a cliché, but we can’t afford to be any different. This young team can’t afford to look beyond this week’s game.”
2) Repeat the pattern. Over the last six quarters, the offense has scored a goal in the first minute of four of those periods. Those goals have injected the team with a healthy dose of confidence and adrenaline, and continuing that trend would really help against Albany. Pietramala credited offensive coordinator Bobby Benson and the players with taking advantage of the short intermissions between quarters to draw up successful plays. “At the start of a new quarter, you have a chance to meet, you have a chance to talk and discuss any subtle little changes you might want to make, a specific play you might want to run based on matchups,” Pietramala said. “So you have that opportunity.”
3) Target the freshman. Opponents are averaging 11.2 goals against the Great Danes, but Pietramala said Albany’s defense is often overlooked because of the focus on the offense. And freshman goalkeeper Edmund Cathers ranks seventh in Division I in saves per game (11.8) and 22nd in save percentage (.552). “I think they’ve kind of found their roles and niche,” Pietramala said. “They are a solid group that’s somewhat aggressive. They’ll do a couple of different things, but they’ve also got a kid in the goal who – at any time – made 20 saves in a game and can get really hot. So the hope is that you’re maybe able to get some transition or extra-man goals instead of having to constantly settle into a six-on-six set against them.”
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch
