The Hopkins men’s lacrosse team went out last Saturday for a high-profile matchup against the men’s lacrosse team, the Syracuse University Orange.
The game was reminiscent of the countless matchups between these two teams that have happened in the past, but it had a unique flair that made it very interesting to watch.
Dave Pietramala, head coach of the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team for the past 15 years, could not attend the game as a result of a back infection that kept him in the hospital.
The atmosphere and pre-game ritual may have felt different for the Hopkins men’s lacrosse team, but they maintained their composure and built upon their ability to win big games. The game went back and forth for a while, with Syracuse gaining a four-goal lead at one point.
Hopkins found it within themselves to maintain their composure, and through the direction of their assistant coaches, they resisted the onslaught that Syracuse presented, and brought themselves back in order to send the game into overtime.
The Blue Jays scored two goals in the final two minutes of the game to tie it up and took advantage of a wonderful opportunity. During Hopkins’ first offensive possession of overtime, freshman Drew Supinski took a shot that bounced square off the goalie’s chest, but he could not control the rebound.
While it looked like a save had been made, Wilkins Dismuke, a junior attackman for the Blue Jays, picked the ball out of the air and buried it in the back of the net. For this tremendous feat that Dismuke accomplished, he has received The News-Letter’s recognition as Athlete of the Week.
After the game, he had quite a bit to say about the team, the winning goal and what success will mean down the line.
The News-Letter: What has been key to your success?
Wilkins Dismuke: I think that my success came from the preparation that we had throughout the entire week. Coach Benson does a really good job with our offense, and I was just in the right spot at the right time.
N-L: Describe the final play of the game in your own words.
WD: One of our freshmen, Drew Supinski, had been doing a great job dodging down the alley and getting his hands free throughout the entire game. He dodged from up top and got a shot off that hit the goalie in the chest. The ball came off of the goalie into the air, and I was right there to catch it and put it in the back of the net.
N-L: What does the team need to work on moving forward?
WD: We have won a few games in a row now, and I think it will be important for us to carry this momentum with us for the rest of the year. If we can carry this momentum with us, I am confident that it will pay off in games to come.
N-L: How would you say the team defines success?
WD: As a team we define success as accomplishing the goals that we have set as a team. At the beginning of the year we always get together and talk about the things that we want to achieve. Success comes for us when we accomplish those goals.
With Dismuke’s help, Hopkins was able to secure another win in the epic series. The all-time Hopkins-Syracuse men’s lacrosse matchup stands at 29-25-1, and 13 of the last 28 matchups were decided by one goal.
Hopkins still has a lot of work to do this season if they want to top last season’s record of dominating in the Big 10. After big wins over Syracuse and the Princeton Tigers — they will return to action at Virginia this weekend.
