To put it simply: The Blue Jays needed this win. The last three weeks for the lacrosse giant were bad enough to rival anyone's bad luck streak. The game Saturday against #18 Albany was their seventh game in a row against a top 20 opponent - the last three being the tough loss to Syracuse and the one-goal loss to both UNC and Virginia. They needed to turn things around; they needed this win. And at Homewood Field on Saturday they got that victory, winning 14-9.
As the wind ripped through the stadium, it became obvious very quickly that the Jays were in this game with all they had. They controlled most of the possession in the opening part of the period, allowing Albany only seconds with the ball before forcing a turnover. With the frantic pace of play, it wouldn't take long for the Jays to hit the net.
That first goal came from of Chris Boland almost three minutes into the game. Boland pressed into the defense from the left, turned away from the double team, and blasted a shot past the keeper into the corner of the net. From there, the Jays began to roll, as Boland netted a second four minutes later. Midfielder Michael Kimmel would have also had his first, when a blistering shot from the left side beat the keeper to his right, whizzing around the net, into the other post and ricocheting out back onto the field that drew a "no goal" call from the referees. Kimmel was stunned, Pietramala was stunned, even Albany was stunned. The replay clearly showed the ball make contact with the net - the very definition of a goal by the NCAA rulebook, but no score here. But not to be denied by the referee, nature or fate itself, Kyle Wharton scored mere seconds later, rightly restoring the 3-0 standing to the scoreboard.
But Albany did show some signs of life. Falling behind three, they managed to score two goals in the final three minutes of play to end the period right behind the Jays at 3-2. But while the scores seemed close on the scoreboard, the Jays were in overwhelming command of play; a command that would be heavily enforced in the next period.
Knowing he had been denied once already, Kimmel took no time in securing himself a goal of his own. Just 20 seconds into the period, he received the ball at midfield, ran past several Albany players and beat the keeper high and to the right. With the force behind it, there was little chance of the ball bouncing out again. From there, the hits kept coming from the Jays, who found themselves 7-2 leaders going into halftime. Not only did their offense hit their targets, but their tough man-to-man defense caused no end of problems for the Danes, who were held to only two shots, one face-off victory, and they were only able to get the ball out of their half on two occasions in the entire period.
With a couple of goals to his name at the half, Kyle Boland and the rest of the Jays seemed to be show signs of relief after a couple of harsh weeks. "Once we relax and move the ball, we can score goals," he said. "It was just a matter of moving the ball and getting it to the open man." The Jays certainly proved they could do that as their seven goals had come from five different players.
But while the Jays had a firm grasp of the play in the first half, coming into the second, Albany showed a much better pace than they had in the first. It was the Jays who struck first, with two quick goals in the opening minutes of the third, Albany kept coming back as the teams traded back and forth as play became choppier and more physical. And while the score read 11-5, the Jays looked like they had their hands full with this vivified Albany team.
As it turned out, the third was just the start of things to come. After three periods of play that saw few flags and penalty minutes, both teams just stepped up their aggression in the fourth. There were two penalties called in the first three quarters. Certainly a tame statistic when compared to the six flags thrown in the fourth, resulting in over six minutes in penalty times. And while the game play before this point could be described as crisp, deft and tactical, the game's final quarter became a war, defined by scrambles for dropped passes and ground balls.
Of the goals scored, Boland picked up his fifth of the day 18 seconds in as he found himself with the ball in front of the net following the scramble that started the period. But the Jays certainly felt the pressure as Albany rattled off three goals in a row. But Brian Christopher's second goal of the afternoon stifled them a little. And as the period wound down, the Jays were content to hold the ball, forcing the Danes to chase after them and try to force a turnover. Even the goalie had to apply a little pressure to try and snatch it away from the Jays. But even that wouldn't be enough as the Jays went on to win 14-9, halting their losing streak at 12.
And while the win proved important to keeping their championship hopes alive, the victory
over Albany would also prove meaningful for coach Pietramala. To go along with his three championships with the Jays (one as a player, two as a coach) and his coach of the year award, he also won his 100th game as head of the program. Congrats to coach Pietramala and congrats to the Jays for a fantastic win.
But they have little chance to rest as next week, yet again; they have to contend with another top 20 team in Maryland. The #8 Terrapins are coming off a tough loss to the #14 Navy. They'll meet their hated cross-town rivals in the second game of a double-header next Saturday at M&T Stadium.
The two teams are traditionally known as one of college lacrosse's greatest rivals.
The stage will be set by Army and Navy, another great rivalry, who will play right before the Jays, and Terrapins take the field at 2 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Come and support your Blue Jays!
