Johns Hopkins' Bassett, Maryland's Amato buoy respective defenses
Among the plethora of storylines seeping from Saturday’s showdown between No. 3 Johns Hopkins and No. 7 Maryland is the play of their respective goalkeepers.
Blue Jays sophomore Pierce Bassett ranks third in Division I in save percentage (.622) and fourth in goals-against average (6.16), making him one of three goalies ranked in the top five in both categories. (Notre Dame sophomore John Kemp and Hofstra junior Andrew Gvozden are the others.)
Terps redshirt freshman Niko Amato isn’t far behind, ranking second in goals-against average (6.12) and seventh in save percentage (.599). Fifth-year senior long-stick midfielder Brian Farrell said Amato has meshed easily with a defense that starts five seniors in close defensemen Brett and Max Schmidt (no relation) and Ryder Bohlander, short-stick defensive midfielder Dan Burns and Farrell himself.
“Niko has been awesome,” said Farrell, a Towson native and Boys' Latin graduate. “He’s the backbone. With a veteran defense like that and you start a guy who’s a freshman, he’s playing really well. I think we had a tight battle in the fall, and he worked his way into the starting position, and guys are starting to become really comfortable around him. If we give him a 12-yard shot, we feel comfortable that he’ll save it.”
Bassett overtook Michael Gvozden last season, making the final seven starts of the year. Senior short-stick defensive midfielder Tim Donovan said Bassett’s development has barely paused.
“He’s worked extremely hard, and he was just as good last year as he is this year,” said Donovan, a Parkton native and Loyola graduate. “But I think this year, he has the confidence that he knows he can play well and compete. As a defense in general, we talk about this defense not being a six-man group, but a seven-man group. He’s a part of our defense, and he’s talking to us the whole game and helping us decipher what’s going on defensively.”
