This weekend is what everyone has waited for all season, the chance to get to Championship Weekend in Baltimore. Memorial Weekend in Baltimore is a treat, but this is the weekend where hopefuls turn into contenders or fall one step short of their goal. On tap, the Delaware bracket has brought back one of the match ups that had defined the last decade in last and two new hopefuls to reach that echelon.
The day will start with the Duke Blue Devils facing off against the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays. There have been some memorable clashes of these two titans in recent memory, typically favoring Hopkins when it mattered most. The battle in overtime of the 2005 regular season with Kevin Huntley keeping the Jays’ undefeated. The defensive stand against Duke to win the title, ending an eighteen-year drought and return the championship to Homewood Field was a defining moment in college lacrosse. Again Hopkins took the title from Duke when Brad Ross’s shot hit the pipe late in 2007. Then 2008 as Mike Gvozden threw the ball into the air as the Jays’ upending the heavy favored Blue Devils.
This is a contrast from those styles previously. Then the Blue Jays were midfield dominant and the defense played tough in front of Jesse Schwartzman. Duke on the other hand ran transition with their defense relentlessly and counted on Danowski and Greer to light up the scoreboard. These teams play the same styles, but with featured pieces much different than before.
For Hopkins, they are an attack dominant team. Wells Stanwick, Brandon Benn, and Ryan Brown have been in sync all season. They regularly find each other open in their motion offensive sets. The midfielders have provided scoring punch, but none have been able to take over a game like the Rabils and Harrisons of the past. Drew Kennedy and Craig Madarasz are counted on to give the Jays a multitude of possessions to which the offense can produce.
The defense is quietly effective. Jack Reilly, Robert Enright, and John Kelly have logged a lot of minutes these past two seasons for the Jays’ in front of Eric Schneider. When they play well, Schneider sees the shots that he can save with great efficiency. Virginia, who is known for their shooting ability, was held in check as Schneider looked to be seeing the ball very well in his twelve save performance this past weekend in Charlottesville.
Duke on the flip side is a midfield dominant team. Not to say that the attack of Josh Dionne, Case Matheis, Kyle Keenan, and Tewaaraton Finalist Jordan Wolf aren’t exceptional, but look at the midfield the Blue Devils have assembled. Myles Jones is a match up nightmare. Against Air Force, there was no answer for him as he went on to an eight-point outing. Deemer Class has sixty points on the season. He had ten points against Syracuse, which is out of this world. Ever so quietly, Christian Walsh has produced a forty-point season as well, which included a five-goal effort against Harvard. When senior Brendan Fowler can give them continued possession of the ball, it is usually a long day for the opposition.
The attack and defense benefit from this dominant midfield. Jordan Wolf is left with enough energy to be a force all game. His speed and finishing ability is what has him on the final five list for the Nation’s Player of the Year. Dionne can finish anything thrown inside and Matheis is efficient in his third man role, to which he will inherit the offense next season.
On defense, they are big and rangy with the ability to cover all over the field. Even though they seem to be a little less aggressive on the perimeter, they are a force on ball. Casey Carroll has played well, rarely making mistakes in anchoring the unit. Henry Lobb and Chris Hipps are all over the field covering their opponent, being able to protect starting goalie Luke Aaron. Even without Luke Duprey, the Devils are a fearsome group.
This game will come down to face offs as the team who can dominate possessions will put too much pressure on the opposition. This game has the feeling of 2008 Final Four in Boston. The higher powered Duke offense against the opportunistic offense of the Blue Jays. If Duke can keep the pressure on, they will be returning to Championship Weekend for the eighth straight time. If Hopkins can capitalize on their possessions it will be the return of the Jays to M&T Bank, their first since their championship game appearance in 2008.
Denver looks to make it back to Championship Weekend with experience on their side. Last year they lost to the National Runner up in Syracuse, after Syracuse stormed back to win a tight battle. Denver has many of the same pieces in place that looked older and wiser since that lost last season. Most of their pieces watched the likes of Cam Flint, Mark Matthews, and Eric Law over the years and they want to prove that they are in contention for the title.
Jack Bobzien paces the offense with Wes Berg as a threat from anywhere. Erik Adamson and Jeremy Noble have put up some monster numbers for midfielders, as both are above forty. Noble looks to have put some difficulties last season behind him and is proving to be one of the more difficult match ups in the nation.
As none of the defenseman on the team have donned a point this season, it tells you that Tierney has them playing his stay at home style. They are controlled and don’t allow for easy goals in front of their goal rotation of junior Ryan Laplante and senior Jamie Faus. The goalie rotation caused a lot of controversy last season, but believe that Tierney won’t allow for second guessing this time around.
Their opponent is the Drexel Dragons, who are making just their first tournament appearance in the school’s history. The Dragons platooned a balanced attack against their city brother last weekend in defeating Penn. They had six players with more than two points on the day against Penn, totaling sixteen goals. The only difficulty foreseeable is against a Denver defense lead by Tierney, assisted goals are a necessity. This past weekend, Drexel was less than thirty-percent on assisted goals.
The defense in front of Will Gabrielson has a 9.50 goals against average. Keeping teams under ten goals a game is good by any measurement. They know how to win in tight contests as well. The Dragons have played in seven games that finished with a differential under two goals. In those games they are 4-3, but they have won four in a row including their conference tournament.
Ben McIntosh leads the nation in goals by a midfielder and if he can have a big game, the Dragons might be moving on to Baltimore for Championship weekend. Four year starter Matt Dusek could return to Baltimore since winning his state championship his senior year for Hereford High School.
Both teams are top heavy in scoring, which means that any complimentary scoring from a second line of midfielders or a fourth attackman will likely help determine the outcome for their teams. Denver has the experience to warrant serious consideration for the title on Memorial Day, but rest assured that Drexel is playing the right brand of lacrosse at the right time of the year to make a memorable run.
This weekend will lead teams to be within reach of the gold trophy on Memorial Day. University of Delaware is going to be alive with the best brand of lacrosse that the season can offer. Teams are willing to fight for every inch of turf and leave everything they have on the field for their schools. Who will be have a better day to make it to Championship Weekend?
– Brian Davies
@briandavies15
