The New England Patriots are spending this week preparing for a visit from the Ravens Sunday, but that didn't stop Patriots coach Bill Belichick from talking a little lacrosse during a conference call with media members who cover the Ravens on Wednesday.

Belichick, who grew up in Annapolis and graduated from Annapolis High School, spent at least five minutes of his 15-minute conference call discussing lacrosse.

Regarding his relationship with Johns Hopkins and coach Dave Pietramala, Belichick said, "It’s a strong one. Coach Pietramala has been a good friend. Certainly enjoy talking to him and exchanging ideas about coaching and preparation and things like that and stats and players. I know the sports are different and all, but coaching is still coaching to a large degree and handling your team, there’s a lot of carryover even though the sports are different. He’s given me the opportunity to be around his teams, on the practice field, at games, and in meetings and in preparation. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve taken a lot of things that he’s done and incorporated them into some of the things that we do – more in terms of coaching and preparation style and that type of thing. He’s come up to visit us here a few times in training camp and at games, and I have a great exchange of ideas with him, and he’s been a huge help. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he’s done and what he’s done with that great program, which I’ve always admired – even though I grew up at the Naval Academy and bleed blue and gold. But being that close to Hopkins and the program that they run there from when he was a player until now as a coach, I just have tremendous respect for him and the entire Johns Hopkins lacrosse program. It’s first class and they do things the right way. It’s been a great opportunity for me to watch them up close and see how they do some of the things they do so well."

Continue reading "Bill Belichick talks lacrosse" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Navy
        

Johns Hopkins and coach Dave Pietramala agreed to a two-year extension that will keep Pietramala with the Blue Jays through the 2015 season, the school announced earlier this morning.

Pietramala recently wrapped his ninth season and became the second-winningest coach in the program's history as he has compiled a 106-30 (.779) record at Johns Hopkins. He has guided the Blue Jays to national championships in 2005 and 2007 and runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2008. The team has qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of Pietramala's nine seasons.

"We are fortunate to have the finest men's lacrosse coach in the nation leading our program," athletic director Tom Calder told the school's website. "Dave Pietramala's coaching resume speaks for itself, but the success our players have had in the classroom and their extensive involvement in community service initiatives is something that we also take great pride in. The manner in which Dave and his players represent Johns Hopkins is exemplary and we look forward to many more years with Dave leading our program."

"The dedication our administration has shown to the men's lacrosse program during my tenure is remarkable," Pietramala was quoted as saying. "Our coaches and players recognize the privilege it is to represent Johns Hopkins University and we take that privilege very seriously. It has been exciting to coach so many fine young men and we look forward to working with another outstanding group during the 2010 season. We look forward to building on the tradition of Johns Hopkins lacrosse under the leadership of our new President, Ron Daniels."

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins
        

Here is the final installment of a preseason and premature poll for the 2010 season, publishing the teams ranked from Nos. 5 to 1.

Unless there are confirmed reports about certain players planning to use fifth years of eligibility, this space will assume that seniors in 2009 will not be back next season. Unannounced fifth-year seniors and potential transfers will affect the rankings that come out next February, but here are the teams that I think will fall between Nos. 5 and 1.

Continue reading "Review & preview: Premature poll Part 4" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Review & preview
        

Here’s the final installment of a new series that checks in with the seven Division I programs in the state to give a glimpse into the past and the future. Next week, we’ll unveil our take on next season’s top-20 poll. Today, we take a spin with Johns Hopkins.

Continue reading "Review & preview: Johns Hopkins" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Review & preview
        

The Major Lacrosse League held its annual college draft Wednesday night, and fair number of players with connections to the Baltimore area were selected. The first player from Baltimore to be drafted was North Carolina face-off specialist and Boys’ Latin graduate Shane Walterhoefer, who was taken by the Denver Outlaws with the seventh overall pick in the first round.

In the second round, the Washington Bayhawks selected Loyola long-stick midfielder P.T. Ricci with the 11^th overall pick and Denver drafted Johns Hopkins midfielder Brian Christopher at No. 14.

In the third round, Notre Dame attackman and Dulaney graduate Ryan Hoff went to the Chicago Machine at No. 17, Johns Hopkins defenseman Michael Evans to Washington at No. 18, and UMBC midfielder Peet Poillon to the Boston Cannons at No. 20. The Outlaws took Loyola attackman Shane Koppens at No. 21 before the Bayhawks selected Maryland midfielders Jeff Reynolds and Dan Groot at Nos. 23 and 26, respectively.

In the fourth round, North Carolina midfielder and Severna Park graduate Ben Hunt went to Washington at No. 28 and Denver drafted UMBC midfielder Alex Hopmann and UMBC goalkeeper Jeremy Blevins at Nos. 35 and 36, respectively.

In the fifth and final round, the Bayhawks took Salisbury midfielder Kylor Berkman with the 38^th overall pick, and the Outlaws selected Cornell midfielder and Boys’ Latin graduate Rocco Romero at No. 41.

Syracuse, which became the first school to win back-to-back national championships since Princeton won three straight between 1996 and 1998, had the most players drafted with midfielders Dan Hardy and Matt Abbott, attackman Kenny Nims and defenseman Sid Smith taken in the first round. Nims was the first overall pick by Chicago.

UMBC, Cornell and Virginia were next with three players each.

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Salisbury, UMBC
        

The All-American teams for Division I have been released and the area’s lone representative on the first team is Johns Hopkins senior defenseman Michael Evans. Evans is joined by fellow defensemen Ken Clausen of Virginia (his second selection) and Matt Moyer of Cornell.

Cornell midfielder Max Seibald makes his third consecutive appearance on the first team, joining a group that includes Matt Abbott of Syracuse, Shamel Bratton of Virginia and Mark Kovler of Princeton.

The attackmen are Billy Bitter of North Carolina, Brandon Corp of Colgate, Ned Crotty of Duke, Danny Glading of Virginia and Kenny Nims of Syracuse. The goalie is Jordan Burke of Brown.

Continue reading "Division I All-American teams announced" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

For those who were too young or those who are feeling nostalgic, CBS College Sports is airing a documentary on the 1989 NCAA tournament final between Johns Hopkins and Syracuse this Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Titled "Legends: The 1989 NCAA Lacrosse Championship," the documentary revisits what is considered in some circles as the greatest lacrosse game ever when a Blue Jays team led by defenseman and current Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala and goalkeeper and current ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich challenged an Orange squad paced by Gary and Paul Gait.

The two teams, which had combined to capture eight of the previous 11 national titles, participated in a thrilling contest before a then-record crowd of 23,893 at Byrd Stadium at the University of Maryland that wasn't over until the final seconds had elapsed.

CBS College Sports is available on channel 732 on Comcast and channel 152 on Dish.

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins
        

Since Dave Pietramala took the head coaching reins from John Haus prior to the 2001 season, the Blue Jays are 19-6 in the NCAA tournament and have made six final four appearances. Here are three game developments that could be critical for Johns Hopkins (10-4), which tangles with Virginia (14-2) on Sunday at noon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

Continue reading "Johns Hopkins vs. Virginia: Three things to watch" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch
        

Kyle Wharton injured his right ankle while attempting to chase down and trail-check Brown sophomore defenseman Peter Fallon late in the fourth quarter of the Blue Jays’ 12-11 overtime win against the Bears in the first round of the NCAA tournament last Saturday.

Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said the sophomore attackman’s injury is not considered serious and that he could start in the No. 8 seed Blue Jays’ NCAA tournament quarterfinal against top-seeded Virginia Sunday at noon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

"We’ll see what happens," Pietramala said. "We’re going to obviously be smart, but I haven’t been told that he’s not going to play. Usually when someone can’t play, I know, and I haven’t been told that by the trainers."

Wharton leads the team in goals (33) and man-up tallies (6), and he ranks second in points (44) behind junior attackman Chris Boland’s 46 points. If Wharton can’t play, senior Josh Peck could start in his place.

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins
        

While helping me on a couple of features to advance the Maryland-Syracuse and Johns Hopkins-Virginia matchups in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins midfielder Mark Dixon was generous enough to review the first-round games and look ahead to this weekend.

Continue reading "ESPN's Mark Dixon chimes in on NCAA tournament" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

Got on the phone yesterday with CBS College Sports analyst and former Syracuse All-American midfielder Paul Carcaterra, who offered his assessment of the NCAA tournament first round and a quick peek at the quarterfinals this weekend.

Continue reading "CBS College Sports' Paul Carcaterra's thoughts on the first round" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, UMBC
        

The Terps will open lacrosse's version of the Elite Eight by taking on No. 2 seed and reigning national champion Syracuse on Saturday at noon at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. No. 4 seed Princeton (13-2) and No. 5 seed Cornell (11-3) will play approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Maryland-Orange tilt.

The Terps (10-6) upended No. 7 seed and previously undefeated Notre Dame, 7-3, on Sunday afternoon. Syracuse (13-2) walloped Siena, 11-4, Sunday night.

Series nugget: Maryland hasn't played against the Orange since May 24, 1997 when the Terps won an 18-17 thriller in a NCAA tournament semifinal. Maryland lost to Princeton in the title game.

The No. 8 seed Blue Jays will meet top-seeded Virginia on Sunday at noon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Then No. 3 seed Duke (14-3) will play against No. 6 North Carolina (12-5) approximately 30 minutes afterward.

Johns Hopkins (10-4) edged Brown, 12-11, in overtime on Saturday. The Cavaliers (14-2) had a much easier time, throttling Villanova, 18-6, on Sunday.

Series nugget: The Blue Jays own a 53-25 advantage, but they are just 3-8 against Virginia in the nine years Dave Pietramala has been Johns Hopkins' head coach. It's the only sub-.500 record the Blue Jays have against an opponent under Pietramala.

Posted by Edward Lee at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland
        

Normally, I would use this space to highlight three game developments that could determine the outcome for either team. I’m going to tweak it slightly and just go with what I think are three keys to victory for Johns Hopkins when Brown visits Saturday at noon.

Continue reading "Brown at Johns Hopkins: Three things to watch" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch
        

Friday’s edition of The Baltimore Sun will include an article on the emergence of Blue Jays midfielders Brian Christopher and Michael Kimmel, who have capably filled the void left behind by the graduations of Paul Rabil and Stephen Peyser.

Christopher has grabbed the more recent headlines with double-overtime, game-winning goals against Towson and No. 18 Loyola in a span of 11 days. During Johns Hopkins’ six-game winning streak, Christopher has registered 14 goals and five assists. (Thanks to sports information director Ernie Larossa for that nugget.)

Christopher said he appreciated being counseled by Rabil and Peyser towards the end of last season.

"At first, I know I was taken aback and thinking, ‘Wow, I’m going to have to step up and replace these guys,’" Christopher said. "I think I’ve worked a little harder this year and put in the extra time knowing that I had to fill the shoes of Paul and Stephen. I’m coming down the home stretch of my college career. I’m taking it upon myself to come out every game and give it everything I’ve got. This is my last run at this thing."

ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich said he enjoys watching Christopher bull his way to the middle of the field to take high-percentage shots.

Continue reading "Johns Hopkins' midfield duo emerging" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins
        

Check in Friday for "Three things to watch" on all four games involving area teams. Until then, here’s a Q&A with ESPN analyst and 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy winner Matt Ward on the omission of Loyola, easiest and toughest paths to the Final Four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "ESPN's Matt Ward on the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

CBS College Sports analyst and former Syracuse All-American midfielder Paul Carcaterra helped me out with a feature in Thursday’s paper on Navy junior attackman Tim Paul, who is expected to play in the Midshipmen’s first-round NCAA tournament game against No. 3 seed Duke despite a sprained left ankle. He also took the time to discuss Loyola’s absence, easiest and toughest paths to the Final Four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "CBS College Sports' Paul Carcaterra evaluates the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

There’s a general theme in the first-round pairings involving the area teams, and it involves reunions.

When UMBC visits No. 6 seed North Carolina Saturday, Retrievers coach Don Zimmerman returns to the program for which he served as an assistant coach between 1979-83. Zimmerman was thought to be the leading candidate for the head coaching vacancy created when the Tar Heels fired coach John Haus last May, but he removed his name from consideration and signed a six-year extension to stay at UMBC.

In addition to Zimmerman, senior midfielder Peet Poillon reunites with Joe Breschi, the new North Carolina coach who mentored Poillon when the pair competed for Ohio State. When Breschi was hired away by the Tar Heels, Poillon requested a transfer and landed with the Retrievers.

"Peet’s been with us for a year, and he’s had a great year for us," Zimmerman said of Poillon, who leads the team in assists (19) and points (44). "Whenever you go back and compete against a former coach of yours, I’m sure it’s a little special."

Continue reading "First-round matchups involve reunion theme" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins All-American goalkeeper Quint Kessenich has become the face and voice most associated with lacrosse games on television. While helping me on an article about Johns Hopkins’ midfield duo of Michael Kimmel and Brian Christopher, Kessenich answered my questions about Loyola’s omission from the NCAA tournament, a dark-horse candidate for the final four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "ESPN's Quint Kessenich reviews the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins midfielder Mark Dixon was kind enough to talk to me about some topics I am working on, and the conversation naturally turned to the NCAA tournament’s 16-team field. The following is a Q&A with Dixon that touches on Loyola’s absence, the easiest and toughest paths to the final four and possible first-round upsets.

Continue reading "ESPN's Dixon on NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

The No. 18 Greyhounds have to wait until Sunday to learn of their postseason fate, but they certainly feel as if they’ve done enough to warrant an invitation to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament, which begins Saturday.

"We should be in this tournament," senior attackman Shane Koppens said. "We have the record, we have the strength of schedule. You never know what can happen though. I don’t know what the [selection] committee does to choose who makes it or who doesn’t. We’re going to be praying they choose us to play somebody. I don’t care who it is. We can play anybody. Just praying that they give us a shot."

Loyola is thought to be competing with No. 5 Brown (12-3) and No. 13 Maryland (9-6) for one of two coveted at-large bids.

The Terps have won just three of their last seven games and have the lowest RPI of the three (No. 14), but they have beaten two teams ranked in the top 10 in RPI in Duke (No. 2) and North Carolina (No. 8). The Bears’ RPI is just slightly better (No. 12) and they missed out on a chance to win the Ivy League title and the automatic qualifier, but they beat Cornell (No. 10).

Continue reading "Postscript from Loyola at Johns Hopkins" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Postscript
        

The Charles Street rivalry is renewed with significant ramifications at stake depending on the outcome.

Here are a few game developments that could help determine the result:

Continue reading "Loyola at Johns Hopkins: Three things to watch" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Three things to watch
        

Here is Part 2 of my conversation with former Syracuse All-America midfielder and current CBS College Sports analyst Paul Carcaterra. Carcaterra opined that if he were on the selection committee for the NCAA tournament, he would nominate reigning national champion and No. 1 Syracuse for the No. 1 seed -- but not without some hesitation.

"They certainly have the potential to win a national championship," Carcaterra said. "But I think they kind of backed into this No. 1 seed based on everything that’s kind of gone on with Brown beating Cornell and Virginia getting skunked by Duke. Talent-wise, they’re certainly in the discussion of being the top team in the country along with three or four other schools. Being the No. 1 seed, I don’t think they did anything over the last four to six weeks that just wowed people to put them in that spot, but I think they do deserve it based on everything that happened over the weekend."

Carcaterra wasn’t as high on Duke’s resume for the No. 1 seed.

"I don’t think their whole body of work constitutes a No. 1 seed," he said. "I think they match up really well against Virginia. ... But I think if you look at their entire body of work, they lost to Cornell at home, they lost to Maryland earlier in the season, and they lost to Harvard. I think they’ve played themselves into being a top-four seed by winning the ACC, which is the best conference in college lacrosse. But if you look at their entire body of work, I can’t see how you give them a No. 1. They’re certainly a hot team at the right time."

Carcaterra also offered his opinon on which teams will play at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Memorial Day Weekend. Here are his thoughts on the four schools:

Continue reading "Paul Carcaterra on the No. 1 seed and the Final Four" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins
        

During halftime of the Syracuse-Massachusetts contest Saturday, former Syracuse All-America midfielder and current CBS college sports analyst Paul Carcaterra offered his take on the projected 16-team field for the NCAA tournament.

That field underwent some changes Monday after Navy beat Bucknell for the Patriot League tournament crown and automatic qualifier. During an extensive conversation that I have broken up into two posts, Carcaterra thinks Bucknell is out and a local school is the most immediate beneficiary.

"I think that opens the door for Maryland as that last at-large bid," Carcaterra said. "I don’t think there are too many of those other bubble teams. I don’t think you can say with a straight face that Georgetown has a shot because Loyola beat them head to head. There aren’t too many others that are on the fence."

Continue reading "Paul Carcaterra's take on the NCAA tournament field" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Maryland, Navy, UMBC
        

The Blue Jays got a taste of what could become familiar.

The Tigers disrupted Johns Hopkins’ offense by carrying the ball into their offensive end, holding onto the ball despite several stall warnings and waiting for the Blue Jays’ defensemen to either get frustrated or over-aggressive before going on the offensive.

Through the first three quarters, Towson had a 26-19 advantage in shots and a 9-6 lead on the scoreboard.

"It’s definitely frustrating as an offense," Johns Hopkins junior midfielder Michael Kimmel said. "Especially when you get down by three goals, you want to score three goals in one possession. That’s not possible, obviously. But it’s definitely frustrating as an offense when you see your defense out on the field a lot. And then we get the ball and throw it away and then more defense. We were trying to press out at the end there. But we were playing defense the entire game. They were doing a good job of keeping the ball away."

The key for the Tigers was their ability to be patient and score when the opportunities arose. Then when they got the lead, they were able to sit on it and milk the clock. That formula might not work for every team, and senior midfielder Brian Christopher wasn’t sure every opponent might employ a similar strategy.

"It depends on the kinds of teams you see," he said. "Teams like Virginia and Syracuse push the ball no matter what. It all depends on what they want to do."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Postscript from Johns Hopkins at Towson" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Postscript, Towson
        

The Blue Jays have enjoyed a lopsided relationship with the Tigers, winning 33 of 36 meetings, and Towson hasn’t earned a victory in the series since 1996. Here are a few things I will be looking for from the press box at Johnny Unitas Stadium Wednesday night.

Continue reading "Johns Hopkins at Towson: Three things to watch" »

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch, Towson
        

A victory Saturday for either the No. 11 Midshipmen or the No. 10 Blue Jays could go a long way in polishing their resumes for a NCAA tournament bid. Here are a few developments that could determine the outcome.

Continue reading "Navy at Johns Hopkins: Three things to watch" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Navy, Three things to watch
        

Talked on Tuesday to Paul Carcaterra, a former two-time All-America midfielder at Syracuse and a current lacrosse analyst for CBS College Sports, and when pressed to pick the teams most likely to make it to the Final Four on May 23, he mentioned only Virginia and Syracuse by name.

But Carcaterra was effusive in his praise of three schools that would not surprise him if they were to book flights to Foxborough, Mass.: Johns Hopkins, UMBC and Duke.

On Johns Hopkins: "They’ve seen everything, and they’ve played down to the wire with some of the best teams in the country. So I look at their four losses and if I’m a Hopkins fan, that doesn’t worry me too much because they have the quality wins to get into the tournament, and I think if they get into the tournament, they’re going to be an extremely dangerous team."

On UMBC: "I think UMBC is a deadly team. I think Coach Zimmerman is probably the most underrated coach in the country. … Nationally, how many people really talk about UMBC? They’re usually like, ‘Oh, they’re having a good year. You’ve got to watch them.’ I think UMBC is that team flying under the radar."

On Duke: "Duke is a team that’s pretty interesting. Here’s a team that lost all of those big guns and fifth-year seniors, and the younger guys are really starting to emerge. They have a nice balance of experience and youth. Ned Crotty is probably the best feeding attackman in the country right now, and you’re putting young guys around him like Justin Turri, who I think is a phenomenal young talent. I think teams kind of put them as an afterthought after the [Zack] Greer and [Matt] Danowski and [Nick] O’Hara and [Tony] McDevitt show ended. They’ve got some talent there."

Continue reading "Two cents from Paul Carcaterra of CBS College Sports" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, UMBC
        

No need for a lengthy introduction for these two teams, who are meeting for the 105th time in this series.

Here are a few developments that could determine the outcome of the contest.

Continue reading "Johns Hopkins vs. Maryland: Three things to watch" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Three things to watch
        

Just talked with Andy Bilello, director of business development for Inside Lacrosse which is running the Smartlink Day of Rivals event at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore this Saturday.

As of today, the event pitting Army (5-6) against No. 12 Navy (8-3) at 11:30 a.m. and No. 11 Johns Hopkins (4-4) against No. 15 Maryland (6-4) at about 2 p.m. has sold more than 14,000 in advance ticket sales. Bilello said increased attendance could depend on the weather.

"I think normally these are two games that get 10,000 people or more on their own," Bilello said. "So to say we're going to get up to 20,000 sounds reasonable. But in the end, a lot will really depend on someone getting up Saturday morning and looking out the window."

Inside Lacrosse is hoping to ride the wave of momentum created at last Saturday's Big City Classic at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey. A regular-season record crowd of 22,308 for a lacrosse-only event descended on Giants Stadium to watch No. 1 Virginia edge No. 10 North Carolina, No. 4 Princeton upend No. 5 and reigning national champion Syracuse, and No. 6 Hofstra blast by Delaware.

Continue reading "Day of Rivals update" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Navy
        

Only half of the No. 12 Blue Jays’ goals were assisted, according to the official score sheet. But three other goals were products of passes that got the players credited with goals in scoring position, and that was one reason Johns Hopkins beat No. 17 Albany, 14-9, and snapped a three-game losing streak.

"Offensively, I thought we played unselfishly for the most part," coach Dave Pietramala said. "We moved the ball, and we got good shots. ... I think we generated shots, and I thought they were quality shots."

Three goals came from long distance and should have been stopped by Great Danes freshman goalkeeper John Carroll. But the other scores were the results of sharp, quick passes that caught the Albany defensemen out of position.

"A lot of motion and just movement," said junior attackman Chris Boland, whose five goals were one shy of tying a career high set in a 16-15 loss to No. 1 Virginia on March 21. "When we move the ball and we’re moving to the right spots, our offense clicks pretty well."

Other notes:

Continue reading "Postscript from Albany at Johns Hopkins" »

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Postscript
        

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. The Blue Jays are mired in another three-game losing streak, but as they have done in the past, they have usually rebounded with a strong finish. Here are a few areas Johns Hopkins needs to win to get, well, the win.

1) The Blue Jays’ biggest problem has been a tendency to surrender extended runs that put them in big holes. In a 14-11 loss to No. 2 Syracuse, Johns Hopkins allowed bursts of 6-0 and 5-1. In a 16-15 setback to No. 1 Virginia, the Blue Jays allowed a 5-5 tie to turn into a 12-6 deficit. And in a 10-9 loss in overtime to No. 11 North Carolina, a 5-0 run put Johns Hopkins in a 6-2 hole. Whether it’s the offense failing to find its rhythm or the defense being out of sync, the Blue Jays would do themselves a huge service by preventing Albany from getting on a run.

2) Possessions translate into shots, which means pressure on a defense, which can lead to goals. In each of the three losses, Johns Hopkins has been on the wrong end of shots and groundballs. The difference is markedly noticeable in the first half. In that period, the Blue Jays were out-shot by Syracuse, 29-9; Virginia, 22-14; and North Carolina, 25-9. In the category of groundballs, Johns Hopkins trailed the Orange, 17-7; the Cavaliers, 17-6; and the Tar Heels, 20-14. In those three setbacks, the Blue Jays are averaging just 10.7 shots and 9.0 groundballs in the first half compared to 25.3 and 18, respectively, for their opponents. Winning the possession battle could go a long way in determining Saturday’s outcome.

3) The Great Danes have beaten No. 13 Massachusetts and only lost to No. 5 Princeton and Denver, but they have missed the presence of senior attackman Corey Small. Small, who led Albany in goals last season with 34 and was second in points with 45, has missed the last three contests after undergoing surgery last month, and the Great Danes struggled to beat a winless Hartford squad, 9-8, on Wednesday. Albany’s troubles on attack would seem to be a perfect recipe for Johns Hopkins to stop the bleeding.

Posted by Edward Lee at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch
        

The Cavaliers’ three-game winning streak against the Blue Jays is the current longest against Johns Hopkins. But here’s a nugget from Blue Jays sports information director Ernie Larossa: Under coach Dave Pietramala, Johns Hopkins is 3-0 at home against top-ranked opponents.

1) After tangling with the country’s best offense in Syracuse (14.6 goals average) last Saturday, the Blue Jays face the nation’s second-most prolific offense in Virginia (14.0). All six of the Cavaliers’ starting attackmen and midfielders have scored at least 10 goals each. Senior attackman Garrett Billings leads Virginia in goals (22) and points (32) and classmate Danny Glading is the team’s top playmaker with 15 assists. ESPN analyst Jack Emmer said how Johns Hopkins shadows Billings and Glading could determine the rest of the team’s defensive presence. "It would really help him [coach Dave Pietramala] if he didn’t have to slide the team defensively to Glading and Billings," said Emmer, the former Army coach who ranks second in NCAA history with 326 career wins. "If he can defend those guys even-up, that’s going to be a big factor. If he has to slide and cover them, then those middies are going to be able to take advantage."

2) One way the Blue Jays could alleviate some of the pressure on their defense is winning the battle of possession and, more specifically, faceoffs. Cavaliers senior Chad Gaudet ranks 15th in the country with a .565 faceoff percentage, and he could jump-start the team’s attack. Johns Hopkins sophomore Matt Dolente won a career-high 15 faceoffs Saturday, but he is still dealing with a hand injury and key backup Michael Powers has been hampered by a right arm injury. "There’s no guarantees that either of them will or won’t play," Pietramala said. "It’s a day-by-day type of thing, and we’ll evaluate it on Friday and Saturday again."

3) Another tactic the Blue Jays might employ is being patient on offense and working the clock and the field for quality shots. It’s a method they used successfully in last year’s NCAA tournament semifinal when Johns Hopkins upset then-No. 1 Duke, 10-9. That puts the onus on Virginia to be focused on defense and efficient on offense, according to Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia. "Will Hopkins want to go up and down the field with us or will they want to slow the tempo down a little bit, maybe play out of an invert offense?" he asked rhetorically. "We expect that’s a decision they might make. So being able – for us – to be patient both offensively and defensively is certainly going to be a factor in the game."

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch
        

But the biggest draw involved Blue Jays junior Michael Gvozden and Hofstra freshman Andrew Gvozden in what is believed to be the first time a pair of brothers have opposed each other as starting goalkeepers. Andrew Gvozden -- who, like his brother, graduated from Severna Park -- earned his first career start as junior Danny Orlando did not make the trip with the team due to personal reasons. Gvozden surrendered 12 goals, and he admitted that his nerves didn't settle down until sometime in the second half. But he also made 11 saves and impressed Tierney.

"Andrew Gvozden had to fight against a lot of things besides his first college start -- his first college start against Hopkins, his first college start away from home, not at James M. Shuart Stadium, and his first start against his brother," Tierney said. "That's a difficult thing to ask a young man to do, and I think he would like to have a couple of them back, but certainly he made a fair share of them, and I'm proud of him."

"It's good to be back in Baltimore, but it was tough," Andrew Gvozden said. "A little nervous coming out. I told myself I wasn't going to be, but you can't really say that when you know it’s your first start of your career, [against] Johns Hopkins, [against] your brother. It's a lot to take in."

Said Michael Gvozden: "I was so proud of him. I thought he did such a good job, especially there in the second half. I thought he made some SportsCenter Top 10-type saves."

Other notes:

* Johns Hopkins (3-1) was forced to use its third faceoff specialist after sophomore Matt Dolente did not suit up and junior Michael Powers left the game with his right arm in a sling late in the second quarter. Freshman Marshall Burkhart went five of 11 and added a goal and an assist. "None of them are season-ending injuries," Pietramala said, declining to elaborate on the injuries to Dolente and Powers. "They're all banged up. You deal with it, and I thought Marshall came in and in particular early, gave us a lift."

* What I wrote above goes to show what little I know about lacrosse. I had thought that Evans, the Blue Jays best defenseman, would mark Card, Hofstra's most potent attackman. But it was junior Sam DeVore who was given the assignment of shadowing Card, and DeVore responded by limiting him to just a single goal. "He's definitely a great player," DeVore said of Card. "He's a righty, and I just tried to sit on his right hand, stay low, and play him knowing that I had my guys getting my back. ... I tried to be a little physical with him on goal line. Tried not to make him too much of a dodger because he's pretty dangerous. So I just kind of sat back and let him come to me."

* Johns Hopkins' Kyle Wharton saw extensive playing time last season, but this is his first season as a starter and the sophomore attackman has blossomed. Wharton, who scored a career-high five goals today, leads the team in goals with 11 and is tied with junior midfielder Michael Kimmel (Loyola) for the team lead in points with 14 points. "I'm having fun out there with [fellow starting attackmen] Steven [Boyle], Chris Boland and Josh Peck," Wharton said. "We have some good chemistry going. But as far as being comfortable, I hope I'm comfortable out there."

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Postscript
        

Omitted from today’s article on No. 8 Johns Hopkins’ 14-11 victory over No. 4 UMBC last night because of deadline and space constraints was the impact junior attackman Chris Boland had on the Blue Jays' offense.

The Columbia native and Boys’ Latin graduate earned his first career start last night, and he validated coach Dave Pietramala’s decision by recording a career-best four points on two goals and two assists.

Boland, who filled in for senior and team tri-captain Josh Peck, had previously compiled just one goal and one assist in Johns Hopkins’ first two games.

"It was fun," Boland said of his start. "Josh was well-deserving of being out there. He’s a good leader and captain. I just tried to get into the groove of things and the flow of the game. It happened to work out a little bit."

Boland was declared academically ineligible before last season and was forced to sit out. But Boland has returned in good shape and given the Blue Jays another weapon on offense.

"Chris brings us a great field sense and a presence on the field," Pietramala said. "He sees the play happening before it does. He sees one pass ahead, and that’s a gift. It’s not something you teach. It’s an innate sense, and Chris really brings that to our offense. And when you have a shooter like [sophomore attackman] Kyle [Wharton] and a dodger like [junior attackman] Steven [Boyle], it’s a nice combination when you have three different guys that do three different things."

Other notes:

*The Retrievers won just seven of 26 faceoffs last night, but might have found a faceoff specialist in a guy who already does plenty for them. Junior midfielder Kyle Wimer, the team’s second-leading scorer with 15 points who also plays defense, won six of nine faceoffs. Compare that with the 1-for-17 outing of three teammates who also took faceoffs and you can see why coach Don Zimmerman vowed to have Wimer begin practicing faceoffs as soon as this afternoon’s session. "Kyle’s a scrapper. Technique’s one thing, but scrapping’s another thing," Zimmerman said. "And it was also our wing play. I thought our wing play improved. I thought [junior] J.D. Harkey was holding his own as far as making it a neutral groundball, but we just got out-ground-balled by their wings. That’s something we have to work on. I don’t know that I just want to point to the face-off guy and say, ‘That’s where the responsibility lies.’ Part of that is true, but we have to do a better job with our wings and get in there and scrap. I think that was the story of the game."

*Johns Hopkins sophomore faceoff specialist Matt Dolente won his first two faceoffs last night and even scored the team’s first goal off a faceoff win, but he did not return to the game. Without delving into specifics, Pietramala said the decision to replace Dolente with junior Michael Powers was precautionary. "Matt got banged up, but he’ll be fine," Pietramala said. "Not a season-ending injury or anything like that. It was something that was in the best interest of the student-athlete, to not play him at least for the rest of this game."

*I wasn’t able to stick around for UMBC’s news conference (big thanks to Inside Lacrosse’s Geoff Shannon for monitoring my tape recorder while I was trying to make my 10:20 p.m. deadline on a game that ended at 9:40), but it was pretty easy to sense the frustration building within senior midfielder Alex Hopmann and Zimmerman. Asked about what the Blue Jays did to limit a Retrievers offense that had been averaging 14.67 goals per game, Hopmann, an Annapolis native and graduate, answered: "The thing was, today we didn’t come out and play UMBC lacrosse. We came out and I don’t even know what lacrosse we played. It wasn’t us. We were undisciplined. We weren’t us. That’s the biggest thing. It’s not who we’re playing. I don’t care if we’re playing Hopkins or Vermont. We’ve got to play our ball, and that’s the reason why we lost this game." Zimmerman followed up with a little flare of his own, saying, "I think Alex hit the nail on the head. We were not a disciplined lacrosse team, and that’s unacceptable. If you don’t have discipline, then you can forget about everything else. I thought we lost our composure, and it almost got away from us. The silver lining is, instead of ending the game on a totally embarrassing note, our guys decided to play our game and made it a ballgame. But too little, too late."

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Postscript, UMBC
        

The Blue Jays have owned this series, winning all six meetings, but the Retrievers are eager to break the trend. To do so, here are some things that I will keep an eye on tonight:

1) If the No. 4 Retrievers look awfully familiar to the Blue Jays, take a closer look at the midfield. UMBC (3-0) is powered by a first midfield line of seniors Peet Poillon and Alex Hopmann (Annapolis) and junior Kyle Wimer -- all three of whom rank 1-2-3 on the team in points. It's a formula that Johns Hopkins employed in the past: Adam Doneger, Kyle Harrison and Kevin Boland in 2003, Harrison, Boland and Matt Rewkowski in 2004, Harrison and Paul Rabil in 2005, and Paul Rabil and Stephen Peyser in 2007 and 2008. If the Blue Jays plan to shadow those three midfielders with long-pole defensemen, that leaves either senior attackman Ryan Smith (Fallston) or junior attackman Matt Latham (Liberty) facing off against a short-stick defensive midfielder.

2) Johns Hopkins has been a program that has long been celebrated for its tough defenses. The question for the No. 8 Blue Jays (1-1) is: Which defense shows up tonight? The one that shut out Siena over the final 45 minutes, 50 seconds in a season-opening win? Or the unit that surrendered nine of the game's first 10 goals in Saturday's loss to Princeton? Senior Michael Evans struggled with Tigers sophomore attackman Jack McBride, and juniors Matt Drenan and Sam DeVore and senior long-stick midfielder Charlie Wiggins drew unnecessary penalties. That unit has to play better to give junior goalkeeper Michael Gvozden a chance against a Retrievers offense that averages 14.7 goals per game.

3) UMBC's defense seems to have filled the void left when top close defenseman Bobby Atwell (Southern) was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in January. Senior Steve Settembrino and juniors Matt Kresse and Brian Schneider have bent, but not broken against opponents like Delaware's Curtis Dickson and Colgate's Brandon Corp. They'll have to do much of the same against a Johns Hopkins offense that has gotten goals from seven different players.

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch, UMBC
        

Few things pain Dave Pietramala more than undisciplined play, which is why the Johns Hopkins coach was visibly frustrated by his team’s performance in yesterday’s 14-8 loss to No. 19 Princeton at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium.

After incurring just two 30-second penalties in the season opener against Siena, the No. 4 Blue Jays (1-1) were flagged 10 times for a total of nine minutes yesterday. The Tigers (2-0) converted on only 2-of-7 extra-man opportunities, but Johns Hopkins constantly put pressure on its defense and junior goalkeeper Michael Gvozden by playing undermanned.

Pietramala was especially incensed at a sequence with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Junior midfielder Michael Kimmel’s 1-minute slashing penalty was compounded by another slashing call on redshirt junior defenseman Matt Drenan and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on junior defenseman Sam DeVore. Although Princeton junior attackman Scott MacKenzie was also whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, Pietramala was less than pleased.

He nodded twice in agreement as Kimmel tried to explain that sequence, saying, "It wasn’t the classiest thing we could have done." Added Pietramala: "We didn’t handle that play in a classy fashion. Just that simple. That’s not what we do."

Other notes:

*Pietramala was equally frustrated by the defense’s inability to close off the Tigers’ shooting lanes. Princeton, which took 60 shots in the season opener against Canisius, launched 51 yesterday. "We just talked all week about trying not to let them plant their feet and shoot, and we didn’t do a real good job of that, did we?" Pietramala asked rhetorically.

*Gvozden was pulled with 11:30 left in the fourth quarter and the Blue Jays trailing, 14-6, and replaced by freshman Steven Burke. Pietramala insisted that the decision to pull Gvozden, who was later reinserted, should not be interpreted as criticism of the goalie’s effort. "No. I don’t think that we were playing great defense in front of him," Pietramala said. "I don’t think our defensive effort in general was up to snuff, and for me to sit here and blame Mike, that would be out of line. Again, I blame me. It’s my job to get this team ready to play, and when I watch that film, it doesn’t look like we were ready to play."

*Did anyone catch the shouting match between Pietramala and Tigers coach Bill Tierney along the sidelines late in the first quarter? Tierney seemed to take umbrage with senior long-stick midfielder Charlie Wiggins’ illegal body check with 4:17 left and let Wiggins know about it. Pietramala, in turn, jumped in to defend Wiggins, and both coaches engaged in an exchange of words and glares. Afterwards, both coaches appeared to have forgotten about the incident.

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Postscript
        

When the No. 4 Blue Jays and No. 19 Tigers meet Saturday at noon in the first game of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium, Johns Hopkins will try to win for the seventh time in the last eight meetings between these programs. Here are a few factors to look for:

1) Princeton walloped Canisius, 14-6, in the season opener for both teams Saturday, but the Tigers launched 60 shots. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but senior midfielder Mark Kovler shot just 1 of 13, and junior midfielder Scott MacKenzie went 1 of 8. Coach Bill Tierney pointed out that Princeton must be much more efficient against the Blue Jays’ stingy defense. "I learned that we can’t hit the broad side of a barn without a snow shovel with our shots," Tierney joked before turning serious. "I think the kids executed pretty well, but we didn’t shoot very well. The Canisius goalie played very well, but in a game, to miss 46 times, that’s usually our average number of shots. So we learned that we’ve got guys willing to let it fly. Now the idea is to try to get a few more on goal."

2) Blessed with two talented goalkeepers in junior Nikhil Ashra and freshman Tyler Fiorito, the Tigers are going with a two-man rotation for the first time in Tierney’s career. Fiorito, a Phoenix native and McDonogh graduate, started against Canisius, and Ashra replaced Fiorito to begin the second half. Tierney won’t tip his hand as to who will get the start Saturday or if one goalie will play the entire game, but Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said the challenge is preparing for two players who don’t show up in a lot of game film. "Obviously, it worked well for Princeton this past Saturday. I thought both of their goalies played well," Pietramala said. "I think they’re both very different, and that’s probably the greatest challenge presented, that maybe just when you start to get a bead on a goalie, the next thing you know there’s a new guy in there."

3) Go ahead and count Tierney among the coaches who are breathing a sigh of relief that they don’t have to game-plan for Paul Rabil, Kevin Huntley and Stephen Peyser. But Tierney was cognizant that the Blue Jays got goals from six different players in the team’s 11-3 season-opening victory over Siena. "You’re absolutely right in thinking that they’ve got guys who are very talented and have done a lot of good things already," Tierney said. "So it is going to be spread out, which means you can’t just say, ‘If we stop Rabil or if we stop Peyser, we’re going to get a shot at winning.’ Now you’ve got eight or nine guys that can all score. It becomes a little more difficult in that you really don’t know who’s going to have the big day or who they’re going to go to in crunch time."

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Categories: Johns Hopkins, Three things to watch