March 6, 2002
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The game: Johns Hopkins (1-0) hits the road for the first time in the 2002 season as the Blue Jays travel to Hofstra (2-1). Hopkins knocked off defending national champion Princeton, 8-5 in its season-opener, while Hofstra defeated Villanova, 12-5 in its last game on Tuesday night..
A Look Back: Johns Hopkins posted an 8-4 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Pride posted an 11-5 record last season and lost to Syracuse in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
The Coaches: Dave Pietramala is in his second season as the head coach of the Blue Jays. He sports an overall record of 32-21, including an 9-4 record at Johns Hopkins.
Pietramala spent three years as the head coach at Cornell (1998-2000) before returning to his alma mater last season. He is the only person in the history of college lacrosse who has earned NCAA Division I National Player of the Year honors (1989) and NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year honors (2000).
John Danowski is in his 17th season as the head coach at Hofstra and his 20th season as a college head coach. He boasts an overall record of 170-111, including a 143-95 mark at Hofstra.
National Rankings:
JHU Hofstra
Inside Lacrosse 2nd 11th
STX/USILA 2nd 11th
Note: For purposes of pre-game rankings, the Johns Hopkins sports information office uses the STX/USILA rankings as each team's official ranking.
Hopkins Lacrosse on the Radio: Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse games can be heard on WJFK-AM 1300 in Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins Lacrosse Game of the Week presented by Copy World begins with a pre-game show 15 minutes prior to faceoff and includes a 15-minute post-game show. Larry Quinn and Mark Dixon will provide all the play-by-play and expert analysis. All regular-season games (except the games against Albany, North Carolina, Villanova, and Navy) and NCAA Tournament games will be broadcast.
Hopkins Lacrosse on Television: The Johns Hopkins Hofstra game will be aired in New York on the Madison Square Garden Network (MSG). The Blue Jays are scheduled to hit the air waves eight times this season. Games against Princeton, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland, Towson and Loyola will air on WMAR, while the JHU-Virginia game will be aired on Comcast SportsNet. This is in addition to the Hofstra game on MSG. Since 1998, Johns Hopkins has had 27 of its games televised and has posted a 16-11 record in those 27 games.
Hopkins Lacrosse on the Web: The official web site for Johns Hopkins athletics is located at www.HopkinsSports.com.
Series Notes
* Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series against Hofstra, 12-2 after picking up a come-from-behind 7-6 win last season. The two teams split a pair of games in 1999 and have played every year since 1991.
* Hofstra's two wins in the series have come by a total of three goals as the Pride won 9-7 in 1996 and took a 9-8 overtime decision in the regular-season finale in 1999.
* Johns Hopkins and Hofstra have met three times in the NCAA Quarterfinals, with the Blue Jays winning all three (1974/1978/1999). In all three instances, Johns Hopkins was the number two seed in the tournament.
About the Pride: Hofstra bounced back from a difficult 8-7 loss against Loyola last Saturday with a convincing 12-5 win over Villanova Tuesday night. Seven different players scored goals in the win for the Pride, who out-scored the Wildcats, 6-1 in the fourth quarter after building a 6-4 lead through three quarters.
Offensively, senior attackman Tom Kessler is the leader as he paced the squad in scoring last season with 51 goals and 23 assists for 74 points and already has six goals and five assists through three games.
He's joined on attack by fellow seniors Scott Dooley and Steve McTigue, who combined for 37 goals and 39 assists last season and already have eight goals and six assists between them. Junior Paul Rao, a two-time junior college All-American, transferred to Hofstra this season and has made an immediate impact. He scored three goals, including the game-winner in overtime, in the season-opener against UMass, and came back with two goals against Loyola.
Defensively, the pride boast an experienced and talented unit in seniors Nicky Polanco and Evan LaPenna and sophomore Brian Zuchelli. Senior goalie Jack Alaimo boasts a 7.99 goals against average and a .607 save percentage through three games.
These Are The Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week's game at Hofstra with an all-time record of 795-257-15 (.752) in 114 seasons of play. The Blue Jays own seven NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles, and 6 ILA titles for a total of 42 national championships.
Captain My Captain: Senior defender P.J. DiConza (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset), senior midfielder Matt Hanna (Geneva, NY/Geneva), senior goalie Nick Murtha (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset), junior attackman Bobby Benson (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh) and junior midfielder Adam Doneger (Hewlett, NY/Lynbrook) have been selected as team captains for Johns Hopkins this season.
All In the Family: For the second consecutive season, the Johns Hopkins coaching staff consists entirely of Johns Hopkins' graduates. Head coach Dave Pietramala and assistant coaches Seth Tierney (class of 1991), Bill Dwan (1991), and Howard Offit (1981) all earned their degree at JHU. Prior to last season when Pietramala, Tierney, Dwan and Offit also comprised the Blue Jay coaching staff, the last time the entire coaching staff was made up of JHU graduates was 1984, when the Blue Jays were coached by Don Zimmerman (1976), who was assisted by Jerry Pfeiffer (1966), Joe Devlin (1978), Fred Smith (1950), Joe Cowan (1969), and Dennis Townsend (1966).
We Go Way Back: Johns Hopkins offensive coordinator Seth Tierney spent six seasons as the offensive coordinator at Hofstra prior to coming to JHU prior to last season. During his tenure at Hofstra, he helped guide the Pride to four trips to the NCAA Tournament. In addition, Hofstra's only two all-time wins against Johns Hopkins came while Tierney was an assistant there.
Brother Act: Sophomore Corey Harned is the younger brother of Chris Harned, who played attack for the Blue Jays from 1997-2000. Freshman Peter LeSueur is the younger brother of Paul LeSueur, who played midfield for the Blue Jays from 1997-2000 and served as a team captain as a senior.
Tough: Johns Hopkins' game last week against Princeton was the latest for the Blue Jays against the defending national champion. Hopkins has now played the defending national champion every year since 1973 (the longest such streak in the nation). The Blue Jays have won six of their last nine and nine of their last 14 games against defending national champions, including wins over Princeton in 1995, 1999, 2002 and Syracuse in 1994, 1996 and 2001.
Tougher: Last week's game against top-ranked Princeton was also the latest in a long line of games for the Blue Jays against the number one ranked team in the nation. Since 1994, JHU has played 14 games against teams which were ranked number one in the nation at the time of the game. Hopkins is 7-7 in those 14 games, including last week's win over Princeton. Currently, JHU has won two straight and four of its last six against teams ranked number one.
The Toughest: Johns Hopkins will once again play the most difficult schedule in the nation, a fact that was cemented with release of the Faceoff Lacrosse 2002 Strength of Schedule Rankings (right).
The Blue Jays have a strength of schedule rating of 175 to easily out-distance the field in the battle for the toughest schedule in the nation. The Blue Jays will play the other five consensus top six teams in the nation (Princeton/Syracuse/Towson/Virginia/Maryland) and seven of the top 10. Hopkins plays three of last season's Final Four teams and three other teams which advanced to the national quarterfinals.
Getting Tougher: As if Hopkins doesn't already play the most difficult schedule in the nation, the Blue Jays will be adding Duke to their schedule beginning next season.
Anytime, Anywhere: This week's game Hofstra will be Johns Hopkins' 16h straight away from Homewood Field against a team ranked in the top 14 at the time of the game.
Youth: It's no secret the Blue Jays may have the youngest team in the nation this season. Of the 40 players on the roster, 16 are freshmen, nine are sophomores, eight are juniors, and seven are seniors.
More Youth: Entering the season, junior attackman Bobby Benson, junior midfielder Adam Doneger, and junior goalie Rob Scherr had combined to start 55 games. The 37 other players on the team had a combined 35 starts to their credit.
Season-Opening Youth: Johns Hopkins played 22 players in last week's 8-5 upset of top-ranked defending national champion Princeton. Of those 22 players, nine were freshmen and six more were sophomores.
More Season-Opening Youth: Of the 10 players who started for Hopkins in last week's win, four were freshman (Kyle Barrie, Peter LeSueur, Kyle Harrison, Chris Watson), one was a sophomore (Conor Ford), one was a junior making his second career start (Mike Peyser) and another was a senior making his first career start (Nick Murtha).
Points of Youth: Of Hopkins' eight goals last week, three were scored by freshmen, two were scored by sophomores, two were scored by juniors, and one was scored by a senior.
More Points of Youth: Of Hopkins' five assists last week, three were registered by sophomores and two were registered by a freshman.
Final Point of Youth: 10 of Hopkins' 13 points last week came from freshmen and sophomores and only one of the 13 was registered by a senior.
USA, USA: Johns Hopkins junior attackman Bobby Benson (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh) earned a spot on the United States National Team and will play in this summer's ILF World Championships in Australia.
Topping the Charts: Bobby Benson, Hopkins' only returning All-American after garnering Honorable Mention All-America honors last season, led the Blue Jays in goals (28), assists (14) and points (42) last season. With his goal against Princeton, he now has career totals of 59 goals and 16 assists for 75 points.
It's Safe to Say: With a goal against Princeton in the season-opener, Bobby Benson has scored at least one goal in 24 of the 26 games he has played in during his career and has 17 multi-goal games to his credit.
A Change of Scenery: Junior Adam Doneger (Hewlett, NY/Lynbrook) made the move from attack to midfield this season, where he is anchoring Hopkins' top midfield unit. Last season, Doneger finished second on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 12 assists for 30 points.
23 and Counting: Adam Doneger tallied one goal in the win over Princeton in the season-opener, extending his streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 23. This is by far the longest active streak on the team.
"X" Marks His Spot: One of the biggest holes the Blue Jays have to fill is at the faceoff "X", where now-graduated Eric Wedin took over 94% of the faceoffs for the Blue Jays last season and over 1,000 in his career. Freshmen midfielders Kyle Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Friends) and Lou Braun (Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington) are expected to share the load this season for Hopkins. Harrison enjoyed an outstanding debut against Princeton as he won 11-of-15 (.733) faceoffs, while Braun won 1-of-2. Harrison also got the ground ball on six of the 11 faceoffs he won.
A Great Beginning: Kyle Harrison opened the scoring for Johns Hopkins in the win over Princeton with his first career goal just 1:22 into the game.
And a Great Ending: Kyle Harrison closed the scoring in the win over the Tigers with an unassisted goal with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
More Scenery Changes: Sophomore Conor Ford (Timonium, MD/St. Paul's) started most of last season on attack and, like junior Adam Doneger, is starting on Hopkins' first midfield unit this season. He tallied one goal in the season-opener against Princeton. He now has scored at least one goal in five straight games dating back to last season and has five straight multi-point games to his credit, the longest such streak on the team.
Ford Tough: Sophomore Conor Ford (Timonium, MD/St. Paul's) made an immediate splash last season as he finished second on the team in goals (22) and third in points (28).
More Ford Tough: Conor Ford led the Blue Jays with a .667 shooting percentage last season as his 22 goals came on just 33 shots. With one goal on four shots against Princeton, he is now 23-for-37 (.622) in his career.
In the Nick of Time: Senior Nick Murtha (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) made the first start of his career one to remember as he limited Princeton to just two goals in the first 53 minutes and registered a career-high 11 saves in the 8-5 win.
More Nick: Nick Murtha's effort in goal helped Hopkins hold Princeton to just five goals, the fewest goals the Blue Jays have allowed in a season-opener since 1983, when JHU knocked off UMBC, 15-4.
Scherr-ing the Load: The Blue Jays boast two proven goalies as junior Rob Scherr (Reisterstown, MD/McDonogh) returns after starting all 12 games last season. Scherr posted an 8.52 GAA and a .587 save percentage last season.
Hail Hanna: Senior Matt Hanna (Geneva, NY/Geneva) scored Hopkins' third goal of the game early in the third quarter in the win over Princeton. In his 13 games at Johns Hopkins (he transferred to JHU from Loyola prior to last season), he has nine goals and one assist. Three of his nine goals have come against Princeton.
McDermott the Middie: One year after playing most of the season on attack, sophomore Joe McDermott (Rockville Centre, NY/South Side) makes the permanent move back to midfield, his natural position. Last season, McDermott finished sixth on the team in scoring with seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points.
More Middie: Joe McDermott played midfield almost exclusively down the stretch last season and registered two goals and one assist in the fourth quarter of a 13-10 win over Loyola. All three of his points came during a three-goal run that turned an 8-8 tie into an 11-8 Hopkins lead.
Sitting at the Top: Some may be surprised to see that sophomore midfielder Kevin Boland (Jessup, MD/Gilman) leads the Blue Jays in scoring after one game. Boland, who registered one goal and six assists as a freshman last season, posted a goal and two assists in the win over Princeton.
More on Top: Kevin Boland's three points (1g, 2a) tied his career high for points in a game. He previously had three assists in a 13-11 win over Navy last season.
Muir of a Good Thing: One of the most athletic and versatile players on the team, junior Tim Muir (Collingdale, PA/Episcopal) tallied seven goals and three assists in 10 games last season. This season, Muir is anchoring Hopkins' defensive midfield unit.
One Good Switch Deserves Another: Sophomore Corey Harned (Holbrook, NY/Sachem) was a standout attackman in high school, played short-stick defensive middie last season, and is listed as Hopkins' top long stick defensive middie this season. He picked up a career-high five ground balls in the win over Princeton.
Wing Play: Johns Hopkins won 12-of-17 faceoffs in the season-opener against Princeton, in large part because of the play of wing men Corey Harned and Benson Erwin (Baltimore, MD/Friends), who both picked up a pair of ground balls on faceoffs.
Long in the Tooth: Senior defender P.J. DiConza (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) entered the season having played in 32 games with four starts to his credit. The next four players listed as close defenders (Michael Peyser, Dan DiPietro, Chris Watson, Tom Garvey) entered the season having played in a total of 26 games with one start. DiConza held Princeton sophomore attackman Ryan Boyle to just one goal in the win over the Tigers, and that came with less than a minute to play in regulation.
The Numbers Don't Lie: P.J. DiConza was enjoying a standout season as Hopkins' long stick middie before being lost for the season with a knee injury prior to the game against Maryland last year. Johns Hopkins had not allowed more than 10 goals and was allowing an average of just 7.3 goals per game before his injury. After he was lost for the year, the Blue Jays did not hold an opponent to less than 10 goals in any game and allowed an average of 11.4 goals per game in their final five games. Since the beginning of the 2001 season, Johns Hopkins has not allowed more than 10 goals in a game that P.J. DiConza has played in.
Coming Full Circle: Junior Mike Peyser (Cold Spring Harbor, NY/Cold Spring Harbor) arrived at Hopkins as a close defenseman and spent most of his freshman year playing there. He even earned a start against Maryland on close defense as a rookie. Last season, he played the first seven games of the season as a short stick defensive middie, before playing the rope the final five games of the season after P.J. DiConza was lost for the year with an injury. This season, he's back as a starter on close defense and held Princeton's Sean Hartofilis to no goals on 11 shots in the win over the Tigers.
The Dynamic Duo, Part I: Freshmen Peter LeSueur (Garden City, NY/Garden City) and Kyle Barrie (Narberth, PA/The Haverford School) were two of the prize jewels of head coach Dave Pietramala's first recruiting class at Johns Hopkins. The two wasted little time jumping into the action as both started the season-opener against Princeton and combined for one goal and two assists. Barrie tallied the first goal of his career at the 9:46 mark of the second quarter to give JHU a 2-1 lead, while LeSueur assisted on back-to-back goals late in the third quarter to ignite a 4-0 Hopkins run.
The Dynamic Duo, Part II: Freshmen Chris Watson (Yorktown, NY/Yorktown) and Tom Garvey (Garden City, NY/Garden City) were two more prize jewels of Pietramala's first recruiting class. Watson started the opener and held Princeton's B.J. Prager to just two shots and no goals. Garvey saw time as a reserve in the opener and should see increased playing time as the season unfolds.
Elementary My Dear Watson: Chris Watson scored a 1590 on his SATs.
Streaking- Part I: Johns Hopkins made its record 30th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament last season, a streak which is by far the longest in the nation. Hopkins has competed in every NCAA Tournament since 1972, having missed only the first tournament in 1971. Below is a list of the longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Division I Lacrosse Tournament.
Team Streak Began
Johns Hopkins 30 1972
Syracuse 19 1983
Loyola 14 1988
Princeton 12 1990
Virginia 9 1993
Streaking- Part II: In addition to boasting the longest active streak of qualifying for the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament, the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team also boasts the longest active streak of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in any Division I team sport.
Below are the longest active streaks in each of the five major team sports in which the NCAA sponsors championships. Bowl games for Division I-A football are not included since they are not directly sponsored by the NCAA. Also, finishes at national championships in individual sports (wrestling/swimming/track) are not included.
Team Sport Streak/Began
Johns Hopkins Lacrosse 30/1972
Miami (FL) Baseball 28/1973
North Carolina Basketball 27/1975
Virginia Soccer 20/1981
Michigan Hockey 11/1991
Leading the Pack: In addition to the above streaks, the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team holds the record for the most overall appearances in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament (30).
Below is a list of the schools with the most all-time appearances in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championships (schools with 10 or more appearances are listed):
Johns Hopkins 30
Maryland/Virginia 25
Syracuse 22
North Carolina/Navy 20
Cornell 15
Loyola 14
UMass 13
Princeton/Army 12
Brown/Hofstra 11
Notre Dame 10
