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Senior midfielder Stephen Peyser leads No. 1 Johns Hopkins tonight against UMBC. The Blue Jays improved to 2-0 after beating Princeton, 14-9, on Saturday. — John Strohsacker/For The Examiner
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - UMBC hasn’t been fortunate to catch top-ranked Johns Hopkins at a good time the past couple of years.
The Retrievers lost to Johns Hopkins, 15-6, last year on a chilly Tuesday night after having just one night off upon returning from a trip to Colorado to face Air Force and Denver.
Tonight at 7, the Retrievers face the defending national champion Blue Jays at Homewood Field three days after Hopkins (2-0) dominated ninth-ranked Princeton, 14-9, at the Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium.
But at least UMBC has some momentum on its side, too.
The Retrievers (1-2) are coming off a 9-6 upset of No. 16 Denver on Saturday in a game in which junior goalie Jeremy Blevins made a career-high 20 saves and senior midfielder Terry Kimener had a goal and a career-high four assists.
“Unlike last year, we’re coming into this game feeling good about ourselves,” UMBC coach Don Zimmerman said. “We’re coming off a win at home, and we were able to rest and didn’t have to travel. We’re going to need all of that and more to compete against a team like Johns Hopkins.”
Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said playing games so close together leaves teams little time to scout an opponent. So, he tries to concentrate on areas his team can improve upon as the Blue Jays look to defeat UMBC for the sixth time in as many meetings.
“When you’ve got a short turnaround, you have to worry about yourself an awful lot,” Pietramala said. “We don’t have the time to study UMBC like we did Princeton or Albany, so we have to really worry about our own house more than anything else.”
As for UMBC, it needs to find a way to contain the combination of Blue Jays senior midfielder Paul Rabil and senior attack Kevin Huntley. Rabil had three goals and four assists and Huntley finished with five goals and an assist in the win against Princeton in front of a national television audience on ESPNU.
Huntley said it is important to play strong for four quarters and not let UMBC stay in the game like when Princeton outscored the Blue Jays, 8-4, in the second half on Saturday.
“We’ve had some tight games with them in the past,” Huntley said. “To turnaround and have to prepare for them right away is not easy. We’ll enjoy this win [against Princeton] for one day and then it’s on to UMBC.”
This game also culminates an emotional two games for Pietramala, as he will be coaching against a mentor for a second straight time. Princeton coach Bill Tierney was an assistant at Hopkins when Pietramala was a player in the mid-1980s. UMBC coach Don Zimmerman was in charge at Hopkins during that time and led Pietramala’s team to an NCAA title in 1987.
“For me to stand on the sideline with someone like Bill Tierney or Don Zimmerman or any of those great coaches, that’s my privilege,” Pietramala said. “I’m the new guy here. I’m the new kid on the block and those guys were coaching when I was playing. So, for me to be there that’s my honor.”
rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com
