April 11, 2008

By Eric Detweiler The Diamondback

April 11, 2008

College Park, MD (UWIRE) -- The Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team came to Byrd Stadium last season with a 4-4 record, badly needing a win against the University of Maryland Terrapins to stop a three-game losing streak and bolster its NCAA tournament resume.

The Blue Jays did just that. An 8-7 overtime win started Hopkins on a nine-game winning streak, which concluded in a 12-11 win against Duke in the national championship game.

"It was definitely difficult to watch, especially since we had the lead against them and let it slip," sophomore midfielder Bryn Holmes said of the Blue Jays' national championship run. "That was definitely a big stepping stone for their season last year, and they took it and ran with it."

This time around, Johns Hopkins is in even worse shape. Heading into Saturday's matchup at Homewood Field in Baltimore, the No. 15 Blue Jays (3-5) have lost five in a row and are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1971. They have never had a six-game losing skid in the program's 125-year history.

The Blue Jays are not in a must-win situation yet, but a loss to the Terps would force them to win their final four games, including next weekend at Navy, just to get above the .500 mark and become eligible for the tournament.

It's a tall order, but if the Blue Jays, who returned eight of 10 starters, can find the groove they hit late last season, it is definitely possible.

The Blue Jays still have the talent, including All-American senior midfielder Paul Rabil, whose overtime goal beat the Terps last season, and leading-scorer Kevin Huntley, who used a three-goal performance in last season's meeting to jump start a personal hot streak down the stretch.

Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said last season's win took the pressure off his team, and he thinks his players will be motivated by the chance for a similar turnaround.

"You tell them that, while Maryland poses a great challenge, they also present a great opportunity," Pietramala said. "If we are fortunate enough to earn a win, that could put us right back into the thick of things."

Inside Lacrosse/ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich said without a win against the Terps on their tournament resume, Hopkins will be forced to sweat out the

tournament selection show.

"They'd be putting their future in the hands of the selection committee," Kessenich said.

Holmes realizes the defending national champions have more at stake than the oldest rivalry in NCAA lacrosse.

"I'm sure they have that extra incentive because their backs are up against the wall right now," Holmes said.

Three of Johns Hopkins' losses came in overtime before losing by bigger margins the last two weekends against No. 8 North Carolina and No. 1 Duke.

Pietramala said his team can not focus on the "what-ifs" surrounding the game and instead needs to attend to the "laundry list" of problems that has contributed to the losing streak. He said his team has not played consistently for a complete game this season and now would be a good time to pull it all together.

"What we need more than anything is to get a win to take some of that pressure that we feel off," Pietramala said.

Despite the Terps' home loss against Navy last Friday and the opportunity to land a blow to the defending champs' postseason hopes, junior midfielder Dan Groot said the Terps' main motivation is still the rivalry.

"For us, it's just Maryland-Hopkins," Groot said. "It's a huge rivalry, so we're coming in prepared and ready to win."

Terp coach Dave Cottle did not want to talk about the Blue Jays, saying the Terps cannot control the effort that Johns Hopkins brings to the table. Cottle said his team played hard and well enough against the Blue Jays' last season that he would be happy to see a similar performance Saturday.

"We're a young team. We're an up and coming team," Cottle said. "We're a hard-working team, and we have to make sure that's who we are on Saturday."

(C) 2008 The Diamondback via UWIRE