4/18/09 GoNavySports/GoNavy82
Hopkins' Mastery Of Navy Tough To Explain (Annapolis Capital)
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http://tiny.cc/w5XIXHopkins' mastery of Navy tough to explain
Mids try luck again today vs. Blue Jays
By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer
Published 04/18/09
To categorize Johns Hopkins' 35-game winning streak against Navy in men's
lacrosse as "remarkable" would be an understatement.
This is not the Notre Dame-Navy football series, in which one program is
typically far superior to the other talent-wise. The Midshipmen were a heavy
underdog throughout their monumental 44-game losing streak to the Fighting
Irish, which ended in 2007.
That has not been the case in lacrosse, a sport in which Johns Hopkins and
Navy are both perennial powers and regular NCAA Tournament participants.
Some would argue the Midshipmen have actually fielded a better team than the
Blue Jays at times over the past three decades, but have still been unable
to snap the stunning losing streak that began in 1975.
Supporting the assertion that Hopkins and Navy have been relatively
comparable programs over the years is the fact that 16 of the last 29
meeting have been decided by three goals or less. There have been nine
one-goal games since 1987, all of which somehow went in Hopkins' favor.
Mention this to Navy head coach Richie Meade and he just shakes his head.
Meade can only speak to what has happened since he was hired in 1995 and can
remember seven one-goal losses, three of which came in overtime.
"We have been in position to beat Johns Hopkins several times over the years
and just haven't gotten it done. Hopefully, we will be in that position
again (today) and will be able to close the deal," Meade said.
Meade has no explanation for why Navy has not been able to defeat Hopkins
since May 10, 1975. Current Navy assistant Ray Finnegan was the starting
goalie that year and made several saves down the stretch to preserve a 13-12
victory.
"I'm not a psychologist, so I can't psychoanalyze anything," Meade said. "I
would simply say that Johns Hopkins always has a very talented team and is
always very well-coached. This game always comes at a critical time of the
season and Hopkins is usually playing very well."
That seems to be the case again this year as ninth-ranked Hopkins (5-4) has
posted two straight impressive wins (over No. 12 Maryland and No. 20 Albany)
after dropping three straight. All four of the Blue Jays losses have come
against teams currently ranked in the Top 10.
Hopkins, which has prided itself on playing stingy defense during the
nine-year tenure of head coach Dave Pietramala, is giving up an
uncharacteristic 101Ž2 goals per game. Goalkeeper Mike Gvozden (Severna
Park) and close defenseman Mike Evans (South River) are returning starters
from a unit that was expected to be stingy, but has instead been
inconsistent.
Gvozden has given up 92 goals and stopped 87 shots for a sub-par save
percentage of .486. However, the junior from Millersville is coming off a
strong effort against Maryland in which half of his 12 saves came in the
fourth quarter.
Offensively, Hopkins does not have a dominant All-American in the mold of
past midfielders Kyle Harrison or Paul Rabil. However, the Blue Jays are
much more balanced with five players totaling 21-29 points. Sophomore
attackman Kyle Wharton, one of the nation's most dangerous shooters, leads
the way with 20 goals while running mate Chris Boland has 19. Michael Kimmel
is the key figure in midfield with 13 goals and 13 assists.
"Hopkins has six offensive players whose skill level is very high. They all
can dodge, they all can shoot and as a group they move the ball very well,"
said Meade, noting the Blue Jays are shooting a sizzling 34 percent.
Meanwhile, 11th-ranked Navy (9-3) has suffered one-goal defeats at the hands
of No. 10 North Carolina, No. 13 Colgate and No. 18 Bucknell. The
Midshipmen, who own just one win over an opponent currently ranked in the
Top 20 (No. 12 Maryland), remain on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament
as an at-large entry.
"This is an opportunity to get a quality win and to go undefeated in April,"
said Meade, whose squad traditionally plays longtime rivals Army, Maryland
and Johns Hopkins in the final month of the regular season. The Midshipmen
have not beaten all three of those opponents in the same year since 1965.
Navy has won three straight over tough competition since senior Tommy Phelan
took over as the starting goalie. Phelan has piled up 47 saves during that
stretch, including a career-high 16 against both Maryland and Army.
"I think the kid in goal has made a big difference for Navy. He is stopping
a lot of shots and that has given the entire team an emotional boost,"
Pietramala said. "You can see their defense is playing with more confidence
and the goalie has also done a great job of jump-starting their transition."
Pietramala is concerned about Navy's defensive midfield of Geoff Leone,
Bobby Lennon and Zack Schroeder, which has combined to produce 17 points.
"Clearly that unit is very good at getting the ball from one side of the
field to the other and generating fast-break goals," he said.
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