Gary Lambrecht, The Examiner
2008-05-12 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Shortly before he played his first collegiate game in 2005, Johns Hopkins midfielder Paul Rabil walked by teammate and superstar midfielder Kyle Harrison, a senior who was giving an interview near the Blue Jays’ locker room.

“Wait until you see [Rabil] play,” Harrison said. “By the time he’s done, he’s going to be known as the greatest midfielder who has ever played here. He does things in practice that amaze me, things I sure couldn’t do when I first got here. He’s a beast.”

From the time he came off the bench early in his freshman year and scored four goals to spark Hopkins to a come-from-behind, 12-11 win in overtime at Syracuse, Rabil has been proving Harrison right.

Yesterday, in his final game at Homewood Field, Rabil once again was the best player on the field, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound matchup nightmare who carved up the Hofstra defense with his speed, size and outside shooting with either hand.

On a day when the Blue Jays played textbook defense and dominated possession time to cruise to a 10-4 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Rabil left the biggest mark on the field with a game-high four goals.

Rabil also made Harrison look more and more like a prophet. After scoring three times in the first half to push his team to a 5-2 lead at halftime, Rabil tied the school record for career goals by a midfielder with his 100th score. Later, in the fourth quarter, with the Blue Jays on cruise control, Rabil inched past former record holder Dave Huntley (1976-79) with his 101st goal.

Rabil also trails only former, four-time, first-team All-American Del Dressel (1983-86) in career points by a Hopkins midfielder. With 165 points, Rabil needs 10 to pass Dressel.

Rabil should be arrested for the way he abused the Hofstra defense, which at times saw fit to guard No. 9 with short-stick midfielder Kevin Unterstein.

Bad move.

Early in the second quarter, Rabil eased past Unterstein and ripped a left-handed, 12-yard runner by Hofstra goalie Danny Orlando to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. Midway through the quarter, Rabil got by Unterstein with a nice move, then stunned Orlando by ripping a right-handed, fade-away, 14-yarder high into the net. That made it 3-2, and it pretty much served notice that the Blue Jays’ go-to guy would not allow the season to end on University Parkway.

Back on March 8, when Johns Hopkins began a five-game slide with an 8-7, overtime loss at Hofstra, Rabil did not score a point.

It was the beginning of a rare, shooting slump for him.

That’s all over now. Rabil is now tied for the team lead with 26 goals.

“I think [Rabil] was embarrassed because of that last [Hofstra] game,” Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. “He was guarded by a short pole and walked away without a point. Where you are a senior captain and an All American, you take that pretty personally. The thing he did best today was he led well. I’m just happy he’s on our side and not the other.”

Added Orlando: “A player like Paul is always going to have a good day, everyday. His shots are just Paul Rabilesque.”

Rabil is so much more than a shooter. He doesn’t get enough credit for the quality of defense he plays. You just don’t find guys that big with that kind of explosive first step from up top or on the wing, where he initiates plays and draws double teams. And his passing ability sets him apart from most scorers. Had the Blue Jays not blown two nice scoring chances inside yesterday, Rabil would have had two assists.

Since coming off the bench that night in Syracuse, Rabil has started every game since, all 57 of them. Last year, after pressing too much early in the season and trying to take on too many double- and triple-teams — it played a significant role in Hopkins stumbling to a 5-4 start — Rabil relaxed and started to revel in his passing. After undressing Duke in the national title game with one goal and five assists, he finished the year with 27 goals and 26 assists.

Now, Rabil has a chance to make Kyle Harrison look like a prophet again.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.