WHERE: @ UMBC
WHEN: Saturday March, 8 @ 12:00
Johns Hopkins sure has dispelled any notion that they will not make the tournament this season. Wins over Ohio State, Princeton and Towson have solified their expectations of an NCAA Tournament bid. They enter Saturday’s game undefeated and will take on a UMBC team who has beaten up on two first year programs in Monmouth and Richmond after getting blown out by Maryland.
The Blue Jays are virtually playing a home game on Saturday as they travel to UMBC to take on the Retrievers. Hopkins will look to remain undefeated against UMBC who has yet to defeat the Blue Jays in their all-time series. Do the Retrievers have any shot at pulling off the upset in this cross-town rivalry?
Johns Hopkins Offense vs. UMBC Defense
Edge: Johns Hopkins
Let’s just call it what it is, Hopkins offense is really good. Hopkins boasts one of the nation’s best offenses, ranking ninth in the nation at 13.5 goals per game. Wells Stanwick may not be the attackman with the flashy moves or highlight reel plays but he is the man who makes this offense go. He is the key in their two man game behind the net and his passing ability makes him arguably the top feeder in the nation. Ryan Brown has also emerged into a legit threat from behind the cage and exploded last week against Princeton. Hopkins’ offense doesn’t wow you in transition but they are ultra-efficient in their half-field sets, a sign of great coaching.
UMBC’s defense is really no match for this team. If Princeton defense, who is much more talented than UMBC’s couldn’t hold the Blue Jays down, then neither will the Retrievers. The lone bright spot on this defense is the play of freshman goalie Connor Gordon, who ranks 16th in the country in save percentage at 59.7 percent. Besides two easy wins against Monmouth and Richmond, he had a really solid performance against Maryland. He saved 15-of-27 shots that day against a defense that was very much overmatched.
Johns Hopkins Defense vs. UMBC Offense
Edge: Johns Hopkins
The Blue Jays look like the defense that we are accustomed to seeing from a Dave Pietramala coached team: tough, hard-nosed and physical. They may not have the standout defender like they did last year with Tucker Durkin but their team defense is extraordinary to watch. They may be one of the best teams at slide and recovery as well as how they rotate on defense. It also doesn’t help that their goalie play has been much better than it was with Pierce Bassett. Eric Schneider has been awesome in net for them and he ranks ninth in the nation in save percentage at nearly 65 percent.
UMBC really has no offense to talk about. Attackman Matt Gregoire is a pure goal scorer who has eight goals on the season while his linemate Nate Lewnes is the guy usually setting him up as he has two goals and four assists on the season.
Last note for comparison’s sake, UMBC scored three goals against Maryland. The Blue Jays should have no trouble at all holding UMBC to similar numbers.
Faceoffs
Edge: Johns Hopkins
The battle between Drew Kennedy and Phil Poe will be an interesting one. Kennedy has been superb early on and has dominated every game this season. Just last week he went 16-26 against Princeton and he went 16-23 against Towson and 18-22 against Ohio State.
Meanwhile, Poe is 37-59 this season in three games, however, most of those came against bad teams in Monmouth and Richmond. Both programs are in their first year of eligibility. In the season opener versus Maryland he went 9-20. So it will be interesting to see if Poe can redeem himself against top competition.
While Poe was drafted in the MLL, Kennedy has been on fire to start the season and has been one of the reasons Hopkins is off to such a strong start.
Prediction
Nothing too fancy here, Hopkins is better than UMBC in all three phases of the game. Their offense is explosive, they are getting strong play from Eric Schneider in goal and Kennedy is dominating the faceoff position. Hopkins will win this one in a laugher.
Johns Hopkins 16, UMBC 5
