Johns Hopkins and Homewood Field was the home for a fall ball tournament that featured four teams with a wide range of ability and name recognition. On a dreary day Johns Hopkins, Fairfield, Rutgers and UMass took part in the day’s scrimmages, as players finally got to take on someone other than their own teammates.
Hopkins-Umass
The first scrimmage of the day featured Johns Hopkins versus UMass. Rain fell on and off throughout the game but didn’t have enough impact on the game as Hopkins was eventually the better team. The Minutemen gave Hopkins a good match, however, and were just as physical as the Blue Jays.
Both teams were also trying to replace very important players with UMass replacing defensemen Ryan Hollenbaugh and Jake Smith, as well as offensive talent such asWill Manny and Kyle Smith. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays were trying to replace midfielders John Ranagan and Lee Coppersmith, faceoff man Mike Poppleton, as well as Tucker Durkin and goalie Pierce Bassett on the defensive end.
Hopkins’ defense is strong and experienced. Despite losing Bassett and Durkin, the team brings back Robert Enright and John Kelly. They also bring back Jack Reilly, however, he did not play for an unspecified reason. Starting in his place was No. 14 ranked recruit Nick Fields who seemed as good as advertised. He provided constant on-ball pressure and picked off some passes right out of the player he was covering. Eric Sneider also had a good game in net for the Blue Jays and he also played in eight games last season, so he shouldn’t be a goalie who will be shell shocked when given significant playing time when the season comes around.
On offense, Hopkins was picking a lot, especially from behind. During the scrimmage, almost everything was initiated from Wells Stanwick and the attack. Most of the midfield got their shots off of skip passes for time and room shots. Senior captain Rob Guida headlines the midfield and is a shifty player but his shots looked like “popcorn” saves for UMass goalie Zach Oliveri.
The offense looked crisp in terms of getting to the right spots, but lacked execution and some discipline. There were a lot of force feeding to the crease that weren’t completed and led to numerous turnovers.
For UMass, the offense brings back Connor Mooney, Zach Whiteway and Matt Whippan. Mooney had some nice shots from the outside on the day. Overall, the offense had some trouble with turnovers and getting some shots off as well. That is to be expected after graduating Manny and Smith.
Last note for Minutemen fans is that the defense really struggled, which Coach Cannella mentioned after the team played both scrimmages. They graduated three experienced defensemen and a lot of sophomores and freshmen got playing time. There were a lot of penalties that ultimately doomed the Minutemen and the defense was susceptible to back cuts.
UMass-Rutgers
UMass played back-to-back games and you can either chalk up the poor play by the Minutemen to fatigue or Rutgers being better. Their defense really fell apart in the scrimmage, which was played at a breakneck speed. They were dominated at the faceoff ‘X’ all day and were bad on off-ball defense as well. Rutgers scored numerous goals on the crease and often off feeds from behind the net.
As for Rutgers, their offense was like a well oiled machine. The catalyst for the offense was faceoff man Joseph Nardella who sparked so much transition for the Scarlet Knights on the day. While Duke’s Brendan Fowler and Bryant’s Kevin Massa get the headlines, Nardella should certainly be in that conversation after winning 62 percent of his faceoffs last season as a sophomore.
Rutgers’ attackman Scott Klimchak, who led the team last year in points, had a strong day finishing on the crease, and had one impressive finish early in the game. Nicholas DePaolera, who was second on the team in points last season, was usually on the feeding end of a healthy amount of the goals in the game.
Rutgers-Fairfield
Rutgers was the second team to play back-to-back games, and as was the case with UMass, saw a drop off from the first scrimmage. While most would say fatigue, I would like to point out that the Scarlet Knights used the opportunity to play most of their inexperienced players and incoming freshmen. Obviously, this is to be expected since it is fall ball.
Fairfield, it should be noted, brings back all their top scorers except Sam Snow. Despite losing Snow, this team boasts talent and experience everywhere on the field. Fairfield really dominated the scrimmage against Rutgers, albeit, against said reserves. Goalie Jack Murphy, who started every game for the Stags last season, played well and their offense was on point.
Fairfield-Hopkins
Granted it is fall ball but Fairfield really hung with Hopkins in the last scrimmage. Fairfield has been a so-so program in terms of brand name and talent but I will be the first to tell you that they could be a dark horse NCAA tournament team this year. Maybe it was due to Hopkins having a two game layoff, but the Stags showed no signs of intimidation or fatigue on a back-to-back as they took a three goal lead through most of the first quarter.
Again, Murphy was stellar in net for the Stags making some real nice saves against the Hopkins shooters. Once Hopkins shook off some of the rust they ended up getting back to form and scored three straight goals. Their extra man attack looked crisp as well.
The rest of the game was very tight and my newfound love affair for the Stags only grew. I was really impressed at how they played against the Blue Jays and I really believe they are a team that opponents should not take lightly.
Hopkins also used the second half to play most of their guys from last season who didn’t see much playing time and their sixth ranked recruiting class. The Stags also followed suit as well. Usually with a teams like Hopkins and Fairfield, the reserves is usually where you see the largest disparity. However, this was not the case as the reserves of Fairfield held their own against the talented Hopkins group.
All in all, a a lot of good lacrosse was played between the MRB Thumps Up Event and Johns Hopkins Fall Ball tournament. A post should be coming later with audio from Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala, Rutgers head coach Brian Becht and UMass head coach Greg Cannella.
