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Message: [QUOTE="Lax Mouse, post: 5693496, member: 8158"] As one of the few (only?) Hop+Cuse fans on this board, I've got to commend and echo all of the analysis above. Really good stuff. I came into the season thinking this game would be a walk in the park for Cuse but things have certainly changed a bit. If the Orange play to their potential and play composed, they have the talent all over the field to pull away nicely. Not doing just that, of course, has been one of their bigger issues thus far this year. Couple of thoughts from someone who has watched the Blue Jays live earlier this year (and is excited to watch this one in person). Hopkins plays hard. They hustle, play like a team, and generally play sharp and disciplined. They might not have the talent that the Orange do, but they make up for it in all the little ways that count. Despite what all the naysayers on the fanlax board like to complain about, Milliman is coaching the team fairly well all things considered. The Blue Jays' ride is no joke. It's not a 10-man, but it's physical and opportunistic. One would think that all the teams Syracuse has played until now would help prepare them for it, but their responses so far this year to heavy rides has not been fully encouraging. Their offense, as noted, runs through the midfield. Their top 3 assist givers are their three first line midfielders. Can't remember seeing a team where an attackman doesn't crack the top three this far into the season. The attack is good but can be limited. You saw in the UNC game really the recipe for success - physicality. Maybe the Jays have learned from that game but the Tarheels were on the Jays' hands and bodies throughout, and not just the ball carriers - the adjacent players too. The Jays are efficient and opportunistic. Someone is likely to burn you if you focus all your attention on the midfield but the hope is one guy going off is better than letting the team offense get into a groove. Hopkins has assisted on around 70% of their goals this season. If you start sliding, this offense really opens up. Their second midfield has a lot of potential but like Syracuse has seen some shuffling. They're still trying to figure out the best combo. Disque is a promising freshman - not as tall as Collison I think but another physical dodger. Defensively there's some similarity to Cuse in that they've been playing slow to slide - not giving up a ton of assisted goals but certainly getting beaten 1x1 at times (perhaps more so than the Orange). Fanlax seems to think Brown will be on Spallina. We'll see. The shortsticks are definitely better for the Jays - DiCicco is a stud and I think their depth at the position has improved as the season has gone on. Lamitie looked really good in net until he didn't - Gelinas seems to have the mental fortitude needed but the position is definitely a question mark going into this weekend. Hobot's availability is a question mark at the FO but it seems like they found someone in Kryszak last weekend. He did a great job mucking it up. I will say that the wings do seem to be an advantage for Hopkins. Cuse seems to still be tinkering with things there but Hop has a stable of LSMs (Eye, Hazard) and SSDMs (DiCicco, Burke) that really fight for it. If Mullen can win clean this could be a long day for JHU, but he could definitely get frustrated if the dot turns into a fight throughout the game. I think some of the irony for Cuse is that they really need to work on their team offense and moving the ball around to set up assisted goals, but the Hopkins defense is more susceptible to losing isolated 1x1 matchups. Curious how Syracuse will aproach this game. A few of the JHU poles have been beaten clean with ease by some faster players this year - could be a big game for Leo. I might try and get McIntee or Hahn going early. Defensively, I think Cuse has a bigger conundrum than Collison. Speed. Some combination of English, Rawson, Iler, and Ayers are going to get the 2 short sticks. They can all run by most of Syracuse's ssdm corps. Of those, English has been the most snakebitten with shooting but he's probably the best passer of the group. I still feel like this is Cuse's game to lose, but Hopkins has all the tools and approaches to take advantage if Syracuse lacks discipline and energy. You'd hope the seniors on this team are really pushing improvement - this game will be huge for the Orange to show they can mature and turn the corner this season. [/QUOTE]

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