April 19, 2008

by Clare Lochary, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - In a season where nothing seems certain, Johns Hopkins knows one thing for sure: it can beat Navy.

For the 34th straight time, the No. 7-ranked Blue Jays defeated the No. 10-ranked Midshipmen. Hopkins claimed a 12-5 victory on Senior Day before 16,042 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, led by a stout defense and goalie Mike Gvozden's 16-save performance.

But the streak that is older than all of Hopkins' players was less important than its current two-game winning streak over ranked opponents, a victory that breathed new life into a once-sickly postseason outlook.

"It wasn't about our match-ups. It was about playing great team defense," said Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala. "Today we put aside our egos. We had nine different scorers. We supported, we communicated. And those were things we haven't been doing on the five-game losing streak."

Hopkins' season started slowly, but today the team jumped out to a fast 4-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Kevin Huntley (3g, 1a) led the Blue Jays' offense, which avoided the turnovers and sloppy passing that dogged them during an unprecedented five-game losing streak, the first such stretch in school history, earlier this season.

But the day belonged to Gvozden and his defense, which severely limited Navy's inside looks. The thin blue line of defenders Eric Zerrlaut, Matt Bocklet and Michael Evans held Navy scoreless for 32:34, from late in the second quarter until the last four minutes of the game.

"As far as our game plan, it was pretty straightforward. It was nothing really special. It's just a matter of everybody working together today," Zerrlaut said.

The Hopkins defense eschewed takeaway checks in favor of rock-solid positioning that pushed the Midshipmen away from the goal and into a bad mental space, where they pulled the trigger far too quickly on low-percentage shots.

"We were looking to get a slam dunk. As our desperation grew, our poise started to evaporate a little bit," said Navy attacker Tim Paul, who scored back-to-back goals in the first quarter and then took nine subsequent shots, mostly from outside 10 yards and none of which found the back of the net.

Overall, the Midshipmen's five goals came on 37 shots. Navy was 0-for-2 on extra man opportunities, a weak spot for the Hopkins defense (.519).

While Gvozden had help from teammates and opponents alike, he did a good job of containing his saves and avoiding offensive putbacks. The sophomore keeper had a 9.93 goals against average entering the game, and was a favorite target of Hopkins' critics during the team's slump.

After the Navy win, he gave credit to his defense and tapped his forehead when asked what the difference was.

"It's up here. I thank my coaching staff for that. They kinda helped me relax out there," he said.

Huntley chimed in with a similar sentiment: "I think that goes for all of us, too. We're all gripping our sticks a little less tight now, and that's probably part of the reason we're starting to get a couple wins."

Pietramala tweaked his starting lineup last week, with Mark Bryan replacing Mike Kimmel on the first midfield in Hopkins' win over Maryland, and stuck with that line Saturday. Bryan responded with a goal and an assist. Also, senior defender Ben O'Neill got his first start of the year in place of Sam DeVore.

But the Blue Jays' sea change had more to do with attitude than tactics. According to Huntley, the change has been brewing for weeks now.

"We gathered ourselves together and said this isn't the reason any of us came to school here, to lose five straight. It's not the reason any of us are here, putting all this time in," said Huntley. "We're all on the same page now. Every day we come out and give our best effort, whether it's practice or it's Sunday when we have the day off and we're just getting treatments."

After enduring the toughest stretch of its schedule, Hopkins finishes with Towson, Mount St. Mary's and Loyola. As an independent, the Blue Jays rely only on their record and strength of schedule to get into the NCAA tournament. They must still win two of three to finish above .500 and warrant consideration.

The Midshipmen (9-4) head to the Patriot League tournament on a two-game losing streak. In contrast to Hopkins' defensive efficiency, the Midshipmen missed their slides and too often allowed Blue Jays attackers to waltz right up to top-ranked keeper Matt Coughlin (4.53 GAA). Navy head coach Richie Meade pulled Coughlin (seven saves) early in the fourth quarter in favor of left-handed back-up keeper Tommy Phelan.

"That was the best team we've played all year and one of the best teams I've seen on film. I'm not the type of guy and this is not the type of team to worry about what happened two hours ago. We'll make the corrections we need to make to move forward," said head coach Richie Meade.

The attendance of 16,042 was the second-most ever for a lacrosse game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The record was set in 2004, when 18, 694 fans saw Hopkins beat Navy, 10-9, in overtime.