4/22/2004 - Men's Lacrosse
Breaking Down No. 1 Johns Hopkins vs. No. 2 Navy

#1 JOHNS HOPKINS @ #2 NAVY LACROSSE PREVIEW
By Quint Kessenich
Saturday, April 24, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT live on CSTV: College Sports Television

Carter Blackburn play-by-play, Quint Kessenich color commentary
Quint Kessenich, the four-time Johns Hopkins All-America goalie, will be in the booth Saturday with play-by-play man Carter Blackburn when CSTV: College Sports Television (www.collegesports.com) televises live the match-up between #1 Johns Hopkins against #2 Navy from Navy Marine Corp Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Kessenich will be covering his 10th NCAA Final on television in May. He breaks down Saturday's highly anticipated game:

Johns Hopkins
The Blue Jays have already played the three other teams that advanced to the Final Four last season, Syracuse, Maryland and Virginia. For Hopkins this is just another big game. For Navy, this is their Super Bowl.

Johns Hopkins uses a balanced scoring attack, strong play on face-offs and a stingy defense to put together some game-turning scoring runs. In 2003, the Blue Jays had 10 runs of 7-1 or better - and already have five this season. When they get off to a good start, they are unbeatable. This year they have outscored opponents 32-16 in the first quarter and 30-16 in the second quarter. Against Maryland, Hopkins exploded and executed to perfection in the first five minutes. It was a TKO in the first round.

The Jays average 12.08 goals per game and surrender only 7.09. The coaching staff is best in the specialty situations, where JHU is +16 goals for the season. The defense is a no-name group of sorts who rely on quick double teams and schemes to overcome any shortcomings. They are smart, quick and relentless, only allowing 12 fourth-quarter goals.

Hopkins uses three players to dominate face-offs: Kyle Harrison (61%), Greg Peyser (71%) and Lou Braun (48%). Harrison and Peyser are explosive off the draw and can score goals in transition. They aren't FOGO's. (Face-off?Get off)

Hopkins has five Tewaaraton Finalists on its roster. Ssnior attack man Conor Ford (21,7) and junior midfielder Matt Rewkowski (14,7) were added to the Tewaaraton Watch List in late March. They join senior LSM Corey Harned (1,1 - 37 GB's) junior midfielder Kyle Harrison (14,5 - 51 GBs - 61% FO) and junior attack man Kyle Barrie (18,9) as Blue Jay players who were among the original list of 26 players to watch prior to the season. Kevin Boland (8,14) isn't on the list, and you could easily make a case that he's the team MVP.

Navy
Navy played an old-school, physical style of lacrosse against Maryland, swarming loose balls with a vengeance and taking the body whenever possible. Coach Richie Meade played 27 players, going to his bench early and often, even though the game had eight extra TV timeouts for rest. The Mids set the tempo early as Brendan Looney and Mitch Hendler crunched Maryland's Xander Ritz in the first quarter; the message was sent.



Meade is the runaway front-runner for National Coach of the Year, and now has 98 career victories. Navy, long known for its patient style, has opened things up on offense this year, running and playing a more aggressive style. A year ago, Navy struggled to score goals, and now it averages more than 12 goals per game. The new scheme fits its overall profile, as the Navy roster is littered with speed and quickness. This is a very fast group and it's refreshing to see a team play uptempo lacrosse in an era where most teams are tentative and scared to make dynamic plays.

Navy is unbeaten with Matt Russell in the net. The sophomore from Madison, Conn. is only 5-7, and hardly fills the goal up like Greg Havalchak from Rutgers or Tillman Johnson of Virginia. His production, though, has been impressive, after watching the first two games of the season from the pine. Navy assistant coach Ray Finnegan is the nation's finest goalie coach and has Russell playing with the confidence of Mickey Jarboe, Kevin Farrington, Jeff Johnson, Steve Nims, Joe Donnelly and Scott Bartkowski, all exceptional Navy goalies of yesteryear. At times Russell appears to be lucky, a healthy trait for a net minder. Maryland's Ian Healy hits his stick from 10 feet and sharpshooter Joe Walters got stuffed from close range, two momentum-changing saves that fired up the Navy fans with their yellow Thunder Stix. Russell appears to be vulnerable top-shelf, and you can expect Hopkins to test him with some high, hard heat. Can Conor Ford and Kyle Harrison overpower Russell?

If Navy showed an Achilles heel in the Maryland game, it was its clearing game, which was unorganized and sloppy, bringing back memories of its 2003 season, when it finished 6-7.

The Midshipmen's faceoff work was excellent, winning 12 of 19 as draws, but Maryland has struggled in that department all year long. Juniors Chris Pieczonka and Tommy Wallin have given the Mids a 173-89 edge (.660) in draws this season. Wingman Steve Looney looked like he was shot out of a cannon, firing off from the wing on face-offs, scooping up any loose ball within a 10-yard radius.

Coach Meade played six defenders against Maryland; he likes his poles to play at a hectic pace. Bucky Morris has emerged as one of the nation's top long-pole midfielders.

Navy has magical team chemistry this season. Junior Seth DiNola started in goal in all 13 games last season and the first two contest this year. After the loss to Ohio State, the coaches made the switch in goal to Russell and DiNola traded his goalie stick in for a short midfielders cross and a long pole. DiNola now gets runs at the midfield defense.

When the Maryland game concluded, the Navy team ran over to its fan section and a wild celebration began. Navy defeated the #1 team in the nation despite committing 35 turnovers. Navy's coaching staff had finally beaten Maryland.
Navy's best player is Ian Dingman. He's been a force all spring - after off-season surgery to remove bone chips from painful ankles, the sophomore from Carthage, N.Y. is on the short list of Teewaraton Finalists. At 6-3 and 248 pounds, he presents a match-up problem, especially for Hopkins, a defense that relies on finesse, quickness, support and schemes. The Jays have held 21 straight opponents to 10 goals or less. Dingman will have the green light to push to the cage; he'll run through stick checks. Hopkins will double and triple team him, it'll be a very violent exchange.

Navy is getting solid production from a host of midfielders. Graham Gill scored a key rebound goal in the Maryland game, is a fast well-balanced midfielder from Medford, New Jersey. Clipper Lennon is a throwback midfielder, a player who is equally adept at both ends of the field.

Joe Bossi, left hander with some of the smoothest hands in Division I lacrosse and Jon Birsner capitalize on Dingman's dominance. Birsner leads the team with 19 assists. Bossi has 30 goals on 65 shots and 72.3 shots-on-goal percentage .

The tailgating will be festive; Navy's football team will start the party at 8:00am and will be fired up for face-off. Navy will have a solid 11th man advantage; the crowd of 20,000 will be pro-Navy. Annapolis-area lacrosse fans that have been waiting 30 years to beat the Blue Jays, and waiting since 1999 to make the NCAA playoffs.

Faceoffs:
The draw: Edge: Johns Hopkins' trio of Harrison, Peyser and Braun have gaudy stats.

Wing play: Edge: Steve Looney, who is a ground ball machine.
When Navy has the ball:

Who is going to cover Ian Dingman? He's a bad match up for the smaller JHU defense. Expect them to double Dingman quickly and often. But don't forget about the others. Pietramala called Navy's starting offense ?the best 6 we're going to face this year.? Midfielders Graham Gill and Steve Looney will need to find the net. Navy must pick up some goals with transition off of ground ball play and score a goal or two while riding the Johns Hopkins defenders. Hopkins struggled to clear against Virginia and North Carolina. Navy's Mitch Hendler is the most underrated close defender in the nation and Bucky Morris is a dynamic playmaker at the pole position, but Navy's complementary parts will be tested against the Jays.

When Hopkins has the ball:
Navy must be aggressive, but they must also be smart. They overwhelmed Maryland two weeks ago, but they've never faced a team like Hopkins with multiple weapons. I expect Hopkins to get their shots in the half court set.

Goalies:
Hopkins has two goalies coming off of sub-par efforts. Scott Smith got yanked in the second quarter against Maryland and freshman Jesse Schwartzman struggled in relief. Navy's Matt Russell has been hot, but he's never faced this type of firepower.
Edge: Even

Team Speed:
Edge: Navy - the fastest team I've seen this year.

Coaches:
Pietramala loves the bright spotlight of a big game and Navy's success has his respect. Richie Meade has pushed all the right buttons this season, finally switching to an up-tempo style that fits the profile of Naval Academy lacrosse athletes. Meade will walk away with the Coach of the Year Award; ?Petro' already has one of those on his desk.
Edge: Even

Intangibles:
Navy will look to capitalize on their home field advantage and what promises to be an electric environment. This is the biggest lacrosse game at the Naval Academy in 20 years. The Mids will be flying high. For Hopkins, this is just a speed bump on the way to M&T Bank Stadium. Hopkins played with remarkable energy and emotion last Saturday night against Maryland. Can they duplicate that spark?

Navy hasn't beaten Hopkins since 1974. Hopkins has a psychological edge and more big-game experience.

WHAT WILL DECIDE THIS GAME?
Clearing Game - Navy and Hopkins have shown weaknesses in their clearing games. Second-chance goals and goals in transition may be the difference.

Ground balls - Navy has a slight advantage in team speed and will need to possess the ball to frustrate the Hopkins offense. The Blue Jays will be able to score on Navy's defense in _-field sets, as they are too precise and talented. Ground balls will dictate possessions and tempo.

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