The No. 2 Virginia men's lacrosse team goes head-to-head with Johns Hopkins tomorrow afternoon, as the Blue Jays look to break their losing streak with a win on the road.
The defending national champions dropped to sixth in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches Poll this week after their second straight overtime upset. Falling to 3-2 on the season, Hopkins' 14-13 overtime loss to Syracuse came just a week after the team fell 8-7 to Hofstra.
The Blue Jays may be down but they are certainly not out. Last season Hopkins dropped three straight before rallying to win its final nine games and secure the NCAA Championship title.
"They are a good team who have had a couple losses, but if anything that means they are going to come out firing at us," junior midfielder Mike Timms said. "We have to be ready to take their best shot after two weeks of losing and two weeks of their practicing pretty hard."
For only the second time this season, Virginia (8-0) takes the field Saturday a full week after its last game. The Cavaliers, using mid-week contests as an opportunity to work out personnel issues and give younger players extra experience, have already faced eight regular-season opponents, compared to Hopkins' five.
With the season more than half over, however, the Cavaliers do not want to wear themselves out before postseason play. Therefore, for the remainder of the regular season they are scheduled to face just one opponent per week.
"We had Monday off which allowed everyone to rest their legs," sophomore midfielder Brian Carroll said. "And it is good to have a full week to prepare for Hopkins so that we can really learn their offense and their personnel."
Containing the Blue Jay' midfield will be key for Virginia. The heart of the team lies in its first midfield line, comprised of sophomore Michael Kimmel and seniors Stephen Peyser and Paul Rabil. Coupling those three with a strong attack, Hopkins will challenge the Cavalier defense with a range of offensive weapons.
Controlling the tempo of tomorrow's game will also be critical for Virginia's success. The Cavaliers prefer to pick up the pace and capitalize during the transition from defense to offense, while traditionally Hopkins has focused on controlling the ball and maintaining possession. When Virginia watched the Blue Jays play Princeton at the Face-Off Classic in Baltimore, however, Carroll and others noticed Hopkins out-matched the Tigers in groundballs and in transition.
"They looked very athletic," Carroll said. "They definitely seem to be pushing it a lot, and that all goes back to their midfield being the heart of their team."
Against both Princeton and Towson, Virginia proved it can dominate the opposition in the second half. The priority this weekend is for the Cavaliers to come out at the start with the same energy and intensity with which they have been retaking the field after halftime.
"If we come out flat like we have been, we are going to have problems," Timms said. "I think that one thing having a whole week is going to help us with is being focused the whole time on this one game. I think we are going to be ready to go from the start"
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