After a convincing 11-6 win over No. 9 Maryland last Friday, the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team remains the only undefeated team in D-I lacrosse after taking home a win at College Park.
This game was all Blue Jays, as a crowd of over 10,000 fans at the University of Maryland watched the 101st meeting between these rivals.
"Maryland is definitely a hostile environment," said senior defender Tom Garvey. "It's great to play in front of a crowd that's against you defense wise. A win is that much sweeter."
Last year Hopkins (9-0) defeated Maryland, 14-10, at Homewood Field in the most anticipated NCAA Lacrosse game of 2004 .
Three freshmen provided much of the scoring against the Terrapins. Attackman Kevin Huntley and midfielder Paul Rabil again started for the Jays on Friday night, as Huntley posted yet another hat trick, plus an assist. Rabil scored two goals and also added one assist. Midfielder Stephen Peyser had his first multi-point game. Huntley and Rabil were the lone Jays to find the net in the fourth quarter.
"Our freshmen are stepping up and a number of them are getting significant playing time. Paul, Kevin, Stephen and Nick [Veith] are all playing for us quite regularly," said Garvey. "They have definitely been a bright spot for us and have helped us out in close games. Paul has frequently been able to dodge against his short-stick, because [senior midfielder] Kyle [Harrison] and [junior midfielder] Greg [Peyser] draw long sticks. So he's been able to expose things on the other teams."
Stephen Peyser, Greg's younger brother, had a career high two goals against Maryland.
"It was an enormous relief to have a double-point game," Peyser said. "Hopefully our game on Friday signifies the success level we are aiming at as we're [trying] to peak at the right time."
Thirty-seven seconds into the game, Harrison scored an unassisted goal. Stephen Peyser scored exactly 10 minutes later before senior attackman Kyle Barrie and Maryland's Brendan Healy both scored man-up goals to close out the quarter with Hopkins holding a 3-1 edge. In the second quarter, Maryland came out strong, scoring two unanswered goals in just over two minutes. Junior attackman Joe Walters, a top scorer for the Terps, opened the second-frame scoring with his lone goal of the night.
"Joe Walters is one of the better players in the country and Maryland has a strong offense," said Garvey. "We did a good job against them and [senior defenseman] Greg [Raymond], and [sophomore midfielder] Brendan [Skakandi] did a great job holding Walters to one goal."
Though the score stood at 3-3, Hopkins quickly pulled away and never looked back. Sophomore attackman Jake Byrne scored in the middle of the second quarter off an assist from Greg Peyser, to give Hopkins the lead once again. Huntley then scored two minutes later off an assist from Harrison, giving Hopkins an 5-3 halftime lead.
"Our best defense was in the third and fourth quarters," said Garvey. "Our defense is most effective when our offense has possession of the ball and this was the case in the third quarter."
After a goal by Maryland's Dave Matz opened the third quarter, Hopkins rattled off four unanswered goals, as Huntley, Rabil, Stephen Peyser and senior attackman and co-captain Peter LeSueur each found the net one each.
With a five-goal cushion at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hopkins had little trouble keeping the Terps comfortably at bay. Each team scored twice apiece as the game ended with an 11-6 Hopkins victory.
"To date, that was the most intense sporting event I've ever been a part of," said the younger Peyser. "Because of our history with Maryland there was a lot going into the game but once we got on the field we just played."
Sophomore Jesse Schwartzman continued his consistent play in the win, registering 17 saves - his second-highest career total.
Rabil now leads the team with 15 goals and is second on the team in total points, with 20. Huntley's hat trick was his third in the last five games, bringing him to 14 goals on the season.
Hopkins now shifts its focus to No. 5 Navy, who will come to Homewood this Saturday for a 1 p.m. match up with the top-ranked Jays.
"We've had close games with them in the past, especially last year (10-9 OT)," said Garvey of Navy, who lost to Syracuse in last year's NCAA Championship game. "It will be a good challenge for us. Navy has a great offense and a terrific face-off man. Our goal as a defense is to stop transitions, clear the ball for our offensive, and limit their time possessions. They have some standout players on their team."
Navy has a chance to make the pollsters sit up and take notice of the Midshipmen this weekend, as Hopkins has been permanently perched at No. 1 since the start of the season.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.