Hopkins Has Answer for Loyola, NCAA Committee
by Gary Lambrecht | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online | Game Blog
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Johns Hopkins attackman Kyle Wharton is all smiles after victimizing Loyola for five goals. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
BALTIMORE, Md. -- For the second straight time
on Saturday, the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team was
essentially stuck in a playoff game before the playoffs actually
begin. And for the second straight time, the Blue Jays answered the
call to stay alive, and did it convincingly, this time against the
type of quality team they had yet to master in 2010.
By taking control of Loyola early, then riding a five-goal effort
by attackman Kyle Wharton and a 20-save gem by freshman goalie
Pierce Bassett to a 9-6 victory on Saturday at the Ridley Athletic
Complex, the unranked Blue Jays made their case to participate in
their 39th consecutive NCAA tournament.
Hopkins, which would have been eliminated from the tournament with
a loss, finished the regular season with a 7-7 record. But because
the Blue Jays are strong in two critical tournament selection
criteria areas -- Hopkins ranks fourth in strength of schedule and
12th in RPI -- Hopkins still stands a good chance of snagging one
of the tournament’s 10 at-large berths. The 16-team bracket
will be announced Sunday night.
Loyola (9-4) lost its second straight game, after entering the
contest with strong RPI (8) and strength-of-schedule (18) rankings.
The Greyhounds, who shot a miserable 6-for-41 on Saturday and
dearly missed injured senior defenseman Steve Layne -- he sat out
with a sprained knee -- remain poised to get an at-large bid. But
Loyola’s chance for hosting a first-round playoff game likely
has gone up in flames.
“I’m certainly not happy about the position we’ve
put ourselves in. I’m angry about where we are,”
Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. “But I’m proud of
our guys for stepping up the last two weeks and giving us a chance.
The last two games have put us back into a serious [tournament]
discussion. Our schedule is selection-friendly. This win is over a
top 10 RPI team. That’s a big deal.”
Not since 1971 has Hopkins had a losing season. Not since 1996
have the Blue Jays entered a regular-season finale needing to win
to qualify for the NCAAs. But Hopkins played with a sense of
mission and calm while improving its lopsided record against Loyola
to 45-3.
Loyola dominated the Blue Jays in shots (41-22) and ground balls
(36-21) and won 12 of 19 faceoffs. But Hopkins, which led for the
game’s final 36 minutes, showed great discipline on defense
and economy on offense. The Blue Jays shot 40 percent. Wharton made
all five of his shots.
Loyola’s offense, so reliant on its attack and transition,
got little from either. The Greyhounds got no goals from their
starting attack of Collin Finnerty, Cooper MacDonnell and Matt
Langan.
The Hopkins defense spent the afternoon forcing shooters into the
15-yard range and beyond, and forcing shooters to their off hand.
Bassett did the rest. One of four freshmen who start for the Blue
Jays, the 6-feet-3 Bassett stuffed Loyola inside several times
early, then ate up the Greyhounds from outside range as the day
wore on.
Bassett’s 20 saves marked the best performance by a Hopkins
goalie since senior Michael Gvozden -- whom Bassett replaced
earlier this year -- saved 20 shots against Syracuse in the 2008
national title game. In his last three games, Bassett has made 46
saves, allowed 19 goals, and has a save percentage of 72.
“Our defense got great on-ball pressure and did a great job
forcing guys to their off hands,” Bassett said. “I was
able to make a few saves early, play from there and get into a
rhythm.”
Wharton, the hard-shooting junior lefty, found his rhythm as well.
With Layne out, Wharton drew Nick Disimile and beat him to open
shooting areas repeatedly. After Hopkins took a 4-3, second-quarter
lead with 5:52 left in the first half, the Blue Jays never trailed,
and Wharton scored four of the Blue Jays’ last five goals.
His 12-yard bullet, following an assist by senior midfielder
Michael Kimmel (two goals), made it 7-4 with 9:50 left in the third
quarter.
At that point, the Blue Jays were in control. Loyola coach Charley
Toomey then pulled goalie Jake Hagelin and replaced him with Alex
Peaty.
“We weren’t giving Jake a chance [to make a save]. If
he wasn’t seeing Howitzers from 12 yards, their shots were
from inside 10. [Wharton] is a terrific shooter. If he’s
getting his hands free, if you give him light, he’s going to
bury it,” Toomey said. “Our guys played hard. I
wasn’t disappointed in our effort. We got some good looks at
the cage. But [Hopkins] had an answer for everything we threw at
them.”
