M. lacrosse annihilates fifth-ranked Tigers

The men's lacrosse team proved why they are currently the number-one team in the country in Saturday's Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic game against Princeton. M & T Bank Stadium's purple seats became an ocean of blue as Hopkins fans poured into the stadium to cheer on the defending National Champions. Like always, the Blue Jays didn't let them down, tearing through the fifth-ranked Princeton Tigers to a 14-9 finish.

The Jays came ready to play, and they certainly didn't waste any time. At the opening whistle, senior midfielder Stephen Peyser handily won the face-off and Hopkins took the first possession of the game. On the fast break, senior midfielder Paul Rabil fed sophomore midfielder Michael Kimmel a quick assist for the game's first goal within the first ten seconds of play. From there, Hopkins took total control of the game.

Hopkins scored eight unanswered goals from Peyser, Rabil, senior attack Kevin Huntley and junior midfielder Andrew Miller before Princeton ever found the net. Princeton was able to take advantage of an extra-man offense with 6:56 left to play in the second period as senior attack Bob Schneider laced a quick shot past sophomore goalie Michael Gvozden for Princeton's first goal of the game. However, Hopkins took control once again, ending the first half with a fourth goal by Huntley and a final goal by sophomore attack Steven Boyle with 24 seconds remaining in the half. The Jays headed into the locker room leading by a score of 10-1.

"In regards to the game, Princeton is a wonderful team," Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala said. "To jump out on them like we did was kinda unexpected. I thought that's as well as we played since maybe we started practice. I'm very pleased with that."

"Their shooting was phenomenal," Princeton head coach Bill Tierney said. "We like to think we're a pretty good defensive team, but they just picked us apart in that first half."

Despite a depressing first half for the Tigers, the Princeton squad rallied in the second, intent on salvaging some dignity. Although some of the Hopkins intensity had diminished, the Blue Jays remained fast and extremely fluid. The team responded first as Rabil put a laser shot through the pipes, his third of the game. After the Rabil goal, Princeton re-gained some of their mojo with a quick goal by junior middie Brendan Reilly. From there, the two teams would go back and forth, creating an unusually high-scoring game.

The Jays' final goal of the day came from a laser shot by Kevin Huntley from the outer edge of the box, his fifth of the game. With the score at 14-6, the Tigers gave one last death rattle with a final spree of three goals by Greg Seaman, Alex Haynie and a tipped shot by Jack McBride with four seconds remaining in the game, making the final score 14-9.

Hopkins's outstanding scoring performance proved that they have an arsenal of weapons on the offensive side of the ball and no one player can be taken lightly. Seven different Blue Jay players scored in the game. However, the tag team of Huntley and Rabil proved to be the dominant force in Saturday's game. After a somewhat muted performance against Albany, Rabil played like a man on fire, totaling seven points with three goals and four assists, earning him the honor of Player of the Game. Huntley led the goal count with five.

Rabil, however, remained modest about his performance. "One thing we focus on a lot is just ourselves and bringing the energy within our team," Rabil said. "That's one part of the game that you don't look at your opponent in. You look at their tendencies, you scout their offense and their defense, but one thing you keep to yourself is your own team's energy and your own team's momentum," he said.

One also can't ignore the stone wall between the pipes, sophomore goalie Mike Gvozden. Gvozden seems to have filled the void left by graduating senior and last year's National Championship MVP Jesse Schwartzman. Gvozden totaled 11 saves on Saturday, including several from difficult crease shots. Gvozden credited his team's offense as the force behind his defense's performance. "The bigger of a gap we have, the more confidence we get," Gvozden said. "I think that really helped us get off to a good start defensively because they were shooting great shots on a great goalie, so when Princeton had the ball and came down and we were playing defense, we were very confident."

Despite coach Pietramala's mild discontent with the second half of the game, he was extremely proud of his team as a whole. "The significance for me is to be able to put on a shirt or a hat and see young men who I have great respect for and care about a great deal put on a jersey or a helmet that I'm just so proud and privileged to be a part of," Pietramala said. "If I didn't coach I'm not sure what I'd do, because going to work every day and being around three guys like these guys [Rabil, Huntley and Gvozden], that's what makes my job special."

The glory of the team's win on Saturday proved Hopkins to be a dominant force in the nation. However, Pietramala and the team continue to look forward, one game at a time. Regarding the team's following game against UMBC, Pietramala said, "All I'm looking out for is the team in yellow and black that we play on Tuesday night and that's all I'm thinking about right now. We can't afford to look beyond practice tomorrow and then UMBC."

Hopkins defeated UMBC in a close 10-8 finish on Tuesday. The next challenge for the Blue Jays comes this Saturday as the men head up to Hofstra University to take on the Pride.