No. 18 Johns Hopkins (2-2) at No. 14 Syracuse (2-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
This will be the third-straight road game for the Blue Jays and their second straight visit to the Carrier Dome after playing host to the Orange in Baltimore in both 2016 and 2017. Both of these teams have gotten off the deck, dusted off, and come out swinging after some early setbacks. The Jays have come from behind in both of their victories— a gritty, muddy slop fest against North Carolina and a hard-fought verdict over Princeton. With the win over the Tigers the Blue Jays have now won eight straight in the month of March, including an 18-7 dusting of Syracuse a year ago.
Junior Cole Williams (5, 6) delivered his finest effort of the season against Princeton with a hat trick, while fellow attackmen Kyle Marr (10, 2) and Joey Epstein (8, 7) continued to be steady. Midfielder Brett Baskin (5, 1) came off the bench with three huge goals, giving Hopkins some much needed scoring from the midfield. Can the Black & Blue keep that going against the Orange? At the dot FOGOs Kyle Prouty (44%) and Matt Narewski (54%) can be a good 1-2 combo even when both are having some success. LSM Robert Kuhn (3G) has been his usual pesky, productive self, while goalkeeper Ryan Darby (45%) turned in his most complete game of the young season with 13 saves against Princeton. How will he fare in his first career start in the Dome?
You have to give the Orange a lot of credit; this team has redefined itself and despite a tough OT loss to Virginia has found their identity. That identity is toughness and hustle. For me it starts in the middle of the field with LSM Brett Kennedy and SSDM Peter Dearth. Both are hard-nosed competitors, throw backs in terms of a sense of urgency they demonstrate on the field. They are the pulse of this Syracuse team. Attackman Bradley Voigt (10, 2) has emerged as a presence inside with the range to burn you beyond seven yards as well. His sweet stroke keeps defenses honest and limits slides to the likes of middie Brendan Curry (7, 6) and Jamie Trimboli (4, 4). Syracuse has and will take its fair share of fouls but you get the sense that these penalties galvanize the team instead of deflating it, as evidenced by opponents only converting on 22% of their EMO chances against the Orange. Goalie Drake Porter (58%) is solid in front of an Orange D that is athletic and aggressive. They didn’t lose to Virginia because they couldn’t match effort and talent; rather, penalties and suspect clock management contributed to the outcome.
