There is no rest for the weary in NCAA Division I men?s lacrosse, something Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County will find out tonight when the two programs meet at UMBC Stadium.
For UMBC (2-1), tonight?s showdown at 7 p.m. represents its third game in four days. The team just returned from Colorado after splitting a pair of games over the weekend, beating Air Force, 13-7, on Saturday before losing to Denver, 13-8, Sunday in the Pioneer Face-off Classic.
Johns Hopkins (1-1) just won a tough 7-6 double-overtime game Saturday against Princeton in the Inside Lacrosse Face-off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium. Tonight?s game also represents Hopkins? first trip to the Catonsville campus.
“I?m not so sure who does our scheduling, and sometimes I don?t think he?s the brightest guy,” Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala joked following the Princeton game. “… UMBC is a very good team.”
For Hopkins, the key against UMBC will be to continue to build on the momentum of the win over Princeton after losing to Albany in its season opener.
Pietramala would like to see some more consistent play from his midfield.
“I thought we were sloppy in the middle of the field,” Pietramala said. “We had a few opportunities where I felt if we hit a pass in the middle of the field, we would have had some transition. But I thought after we settled down, I felt our offense played unselfishly, something last week we didn?t do.”
UMBC hopes having home-field advantage will help the Retrievers get their first-ever win over the Blue Jays. Hopkins has won all four games in the series, including a 12-7 win last year at Homewood Field.
While the Retrievers have 21 first-year players on the roster, they still rely on upperclassmen, including senior attackmen Drew Westervelt and Andy Gallagher, for much of their offensive production.
Westervelt has five goals and three assists, while Gallagher has eight goals and two assists for UMBC.
Meanwhile, Hopkins? top two offensive producers through two games are a pair of freshmen. Attack Steven Boyle has four goals and an assist, while midfielder Michael Kimmel has a goal and four assists.
“Teams like Albany especially showed us there aren?t any teams on the schedule you can look past,” Kimmel said.
“Everyone now is getting a lot better. There?s a lot more talent out there, and a team like Albany showed us that.”
UMBC/HOPKINS NOTES
» UMBC coach Don Zimmerman, a 1976 Johns Hopkins graduate, coached the Blue Jays from 1984 to ?90, where he won the national title in 1985 and 1987.
» Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala was a player under Zimmerman and was a member of the 1987 championship team. He is the only person in Division I college lacrosse to win a national title as a player and a coach.
