With just one more regular season game left to play, the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team is hoping to finish the 2005 season with an unblemished 12-0 record. The team also looks to finish its fourth straight season ranked No. 1 in the country.
Last Saturday, the Blue Jays' defense held state rival Towson University to four total goals in their comeback 8-4 win at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The four goals was the lowest number scored by a Hopkins opponent this season.
"Our No. 1 ranking is a testament to our team character and our work ethic," said junior defensive midfielder Matt Feild. "We can't ask for anything better, and hopefully we will perform to our best ability at the end of the month. We continue to get better and stronger as a team going into the playoffs."
The Blue Jays' defense was the story of the game, as the offense only managed to scored one goal per period until the fourth quarter, when senior midfielder Matt Rewkowski scored a goal off an assist from standout freshman midfielder Paul Rabil. Rewkowski's goal ignited a 5-1 run for Hopkins to push the Blue Jays ahead of the Tigers. The win over Towson marked the 50th career win for this year's senior class.
"We only gave up shots that were deep, which [sophomore goalie] Jesse [Schwartzman] was able to save," said Feild. "The main factor in holding Towson to just four goals was the goaltending from Jesse. He saw the ball very well Saturday."
Schwartzman picked up 21 saves, improving upon his previous game-record of 20.
"After his saves, Jesse was able to clear the ball so that Towson was only able to have one or two shots per possession," said Feild. "So with 21 saves, Towson didn't get a chance to score many goals."
Senior attackman and co-captain Peter LeSueur scored the game-opener three minutes into the match off an assist from sophomore attackman Jake Bryne.
"It was good to get off to a one goal lead," said LeSueur. "We made a couple of bad mistakes and weren't able to capitalize on some opportunities after that first goal."
The Tigers scored three straight before the Blue Jays were able to put any more points on the scoreboard again. Junior Steve Mull was instrumental for the Tigers as he assisted on all three goals and scored the lone Towson goal of the fourth period.
After almost 25 minutes of silence from the Hopkins offense, Rabil found the net and Hopkins went into the half trailing by only one goal.
"Towson's always a tough fight," said LeSueur. "We weren't happy with how we executed our game plan at first, but in the second half we won more face-offs and did a better job of finishing our opportunities."
The third quarter was another silent period as the Blue Jays held the Tigers scoreless and only Rabil scored with 44 seconds left in the period. His goal was his 17th of the season, putting him in second place on the team behind senior midfielder and co-captain Kyle Harrison.
"Towson's face-off guy [sophomore Matt Eckerl] has one of the best winning percentages in the country," said sophomore long stick midfielder Brendan Skakandi. "We tried, as the defense, to not let him get on a roll. [Eckerl] goes for a fast break and then tries to score; we were absolutely successful in avoiding this on Saturday."
Harrison went 0-1 in face-offs, while junior midfielder Greg Peyser won 5 of his 9 attempts, and sophomore midfielder Jamison Koesterer was 3-4. The three combined to win 8 of 14 face-offs.
"We stayed with what was working and we kept stopping their close shots throughout the game," said Field. "And in the fourth quarter, our offense got it going."
In the fourth quarter, the Blue Jays offense went on a 5-1 run in 13 minutes. Except for Mull's unassisted goal in the beginning of the period, Hopkins controlled the game both defensively and offensively. After Rewkowski's start to the run, LeSueur scored a goal off freshman attackman Kevin Huntley just over a minute before senior defensive midfielder Benson Erwin scored his first goal of the season.
Bryne and Harrison then scored unassisted goals at the 7:40 and 1:14 marks, respectively, in the period, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Tigers.
"We kept our communication up as a team," said Skakandi. "Jesse played amazingly and it was motivation for the defense to rally behind him."
Both the defense and the offense will have just one more regular season test this Saturday, when they face uptown rival Loyola at Homewood Field. The game marks the senior class' last regular season game of their collegiate careers.
But if all goes well, the Blue Jays will play two more games at Homewood, starting with round one of the NCAA Championships next weekend. Along with Princeton University, Hopkins is hosting the Quarterfinals May 21-22.
"We are excited to be in the top position this month, but we don't want to overlook Loyola," said LeSueur. "Being the No. 1 seed for the fourth season in a row is great, but it's what happens at the end of May that counts. As seniors, it is our last chance at a national championship."
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