Johns Hopkins is the last of the dynastic men?s lacrosse teams still alive in the NCAA tournament. But, the Blue Jays go into today?s national championship game against Duke as the underdog.
Duke (17-2) enters today?s game riding a 12-game winning streak, including a thrilling 12-11 victory over Cornell in Saturday?s semifinals, when attack Zack Greer scored the last of his four goals with three second left in regulation. The Blue Devils avenged a regular-season 7-6 loss with the win.
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Now, Duke is looking for another measure of revenge as it lost to John Hopkins in the 2005 national finals. The Blue Devils own a regular season victory over the Blue Jays (12-4) as they won, 11-9, April 7 in Baltimore. Duke is back in the finals a year after having its 2006 season cancelled after what turned out to be false rape allegations surfaced against three players.
But, first-year Duke coach John Danowski said he doesn?t expect to see the same Hopkins team today that his team played before. Since that loss, the last of a three-game skid, Hopkins has won eight straight, including an 8-3 semifinals win over Delaware Saturday.
“Hopkins is surely much improved from when we saw them last time,” Danowski said. “We got them when they were in that down streak ? They?re much improved and this time of year they must be if they?re in this game. So they?re going to be terrific and Coach Pietramala is one of the best and he?s going to find a way to defend us.”
As for Hopkins, Pietramala is relishing being the underdog today. While there are plenty of players on this team with championship game experience, he feels like this team is much different from the 2005 team, but with many of the same intangible qualities.
“This group will not quit,” said Pietramala following Saturday?s win at M&T Bank Stadium. “This group, when they get down, doesn?t lose their focus or composure. We?ve battled back. This group has been in a lot of one-goal games and won. This group has also been humbled. Our ?05 team had been humbled the year before in ?04 when we got our tails kicked the year before [in the semifinals] on that field. I think some of those qualities are coming through with this group.”
Hopkins senior goalie Jesse Schwartzman was on that 2005 team. He said it was important for him to get back to this point after Hopkins missed the Final Four for the first time in five years last season.
Schwartzman also knows he is going to have his hands full trying to contain Duke?s offense, which includes Greer and attack Matt Danowski ? who combined for 110 goals and 77 assists this year.
“Sitting home on Memorial Day as a lacrosse player is not a good thing,” Schwartzman said. “We all went through that last year. Our freshmen and sophomores have never been to the Final Four, so we kind of wanted to show them what that was like and how good a time it could be.”
Johns Hopkins (12-4) vs. Duke (17-2)
» When: Today at 1
» Where: M&T Bank Stadium
» Did you know? Hopkins leads the overall series against Duke, 10-3, dating back to 1942 ? Midfielder Paul Rabil leads Hopkins in points with 26 goals and 21 assists while attack Steven Boyle is second on the team with 35 points (22 goals, 13 assists) ? Midfielders Stephen Peyser and Michael Kimmel scored three goals each in the semifinals win over Delaware.
