Loyola at Johns Hopkins: Halftime thoughts
Johns Hopkins has seized control of what began as a tight contest, taking advantage of a 3-0 run to end the second quarter and take a 6-3 lead into halftime against Loyola at Homewood Field in Baltimore on Saturday.
The No. 18 Greyhounds (8-3) took a 1-0 lead after senior attackman Chris Palmer scored 6 minutes, 46 seconds into the first quarter, and both sides traded goals until the score was 3-3 with 9:14 left in the second period.
But the No. 4 Blue Jays (10-2) got goals from sophomore midfielder John Ranagan, freshman midfielder Rob Guida and sophomore midfielder Lee Coppersmith over a span of 3:08 to take the three-goal advantage into intermission.
Johns Hopkins is virtually assured of a spot in the NCAA tournament. Loyola will be the No. 2 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament at Denver on Thursday night, but a win against the Blue Jays could strengthen the school’s candidacy for an at-large bid.
Other notes:
*Ranagan leads all scorers with two goals, and sophomore midfielder John Greeley has recorded two points on a goal and an assist. All six of Johns Hopkins’ goals have been scored by either sophomores or freshmen. Senior attackmen Chris Boland, the team leader in goals (26), and Kyle Wharton, second in goals (22), have been shut out by senior defenseman Steve Dircks and sophomore defenseman Reid Acton, respectively.
*Palmer, senior midfielder D.J. Comer and sophomore midfielder Davis Butts have scored the Greyhounds’ goals. But sophomore attackman Mike Sawyer, the team leader in both goals (26) and points (31), and senior attackman Matt Langan, the leader in assists (16) have been silenced by sophomore defenseman Tucker Durkin and freshman defenseman Jack Reilly, respectively.
*Johns Hopkins senior Matt Dolente has outdueled senior John Schiavone, winning 7-of-11 faceoffs. Blue Jays sophomore goalie Pierce Bassett has turned aside six shots, while Loyola senior Jake Hagelin has posted five saves.
*The Blue Jays lead in several key categories including ground balls (17-11) and shots (15-11). The Greyhounds have committed nine turnovers to Johns Hopkins’ six.
Categories: Halftime thoughts, Johns Hopkins, Loyola
