When speaking about Delaware face-off specialist Alex Smith, Johns Hopkins lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala was very straightforward.
“I?m not sure we?ve faced a young man like this,” Pietramala said in a teleconference Monday.
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Smith, a senior from Timonium, has won 304 of 415 face-offs this season ? successful in 73 percent of his draws. He also has snagged 169 groundballs. This is potentially Hopkins? biggest challenge when it faces Delaware in the NCAA semifinals Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium.
“I?m not sure anyone gets very excited to face-off with Alex, other than the challenge to face-off with a guy like that,” Pietramala said. “I?m not sure I?ve seen any one player dominate the face-offs the way he does.”
At times, Pietramala?s own face-off guy has been strong. Junior Stephen Peyser has won 55.6 percent (94-169) of his attempts.
“Stephen Peyser is an excellent face-off man. We were able to get a good look at what he does in [the quarterfinals],” Delaware coach Bob Shillinglaw said, noting that the team would study plenty of tape before Saturday?s game. “Alex prepares himself so well that sometimes I just try not to interfere.”
While Peyser has been strong on the ground, he?s just as valuable to the Blue Jays? offense, having scored 11 goals with nine assists.
“We tend to go with the guy with the hot hand, and that can be difficult because Stephen runs with our first midfield,” Pietramala said.
When Peyser isn?t taking draws, senior Jamison Koesterer has won 49.3 percent (68-138) of his face-offs.
Peyser has also been the subject of criticism this season, as some opposing coaches have questioned the legality of Peyser?s quick stick. Getting Peyser off his game could be costly to the Blue Jays, while they also will have to overcome Smith?s ability to adjust on the run.
“For us, you?ve got to be very careful how you approach him,” Pietramala said. “We?ve got to be as competitive as we can possibly be, limit the opportunities they get to score off the face-off. He?s such a strong player, and what I admire the most about him is his willingness to adjust.”
Like making adjustments, Delaware feels the intangibles might make the difference in the game. Despite the importance of the face-off battle, the box score may not tell the whole story by the end of Saturday?s game.
And in particular, Schillinglaw felt that the game might not be decided in one-on-one situations ? even in the face-off circle.
“This isn?t a team that you?re going to beat individually, one on one, and if you do, they?re going to have that next guy at the right spot,” Shillinglaw said of Hopkins? disciplined defense. “For us to be successful, there has to be a lot of ball movement and movement without the ball.”
