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Johns Hopkins shouldn’t worry after upset loss to Towson

By Zachary Pulverente

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Less than 6 hours after I basically guaranteed a Johns Hopkins victory, the Towson Tigers went out and proved me wrong. I guess that’s why Chris Berman always says “That’s why they play the game.”

Towson hosted the Blue Jays last night and won the game 7-5. This is Towson’s first victory over Johns Hopkins since 1996. But it’s how Towson was able to win that was impressive.

In Johns Hopkin’s first game against UMBC, they were able to control groundballs  and turnovers late in the game. This week while on the road at Towson, JHU lost both battles late in the game. They lost the groundball battle 11-4 in the fourth quarter and didn’t win a single face-off the entire quarter. That is not a good formula for winning, especially when trailing in a game.

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Towson set out a perfect game plan for any other team who has to play Hopkins in the future. Hopkins’ inside defense is stingy and is almost impossible to drive and score on. Towson stayed about 10 yards in front of the goal and ripped as many shots as they could.

But not to worry Hopkins fans. This is only a minor hiccup in what is going to be a great year for this team. I can still see this team going deep into the NCAA tournament. If we counted all teams out after an unexpected loss, the New England Patriots would’ve been out of contention after traveling to Kansas City.

This game was merely a shock to the Blue Jays, rather than any indication of their ability. The Stanwick brothers will learn from this and become quicker and more efficient on the offensive side. The biggest thing the Blue Jays need to focus on moving forward is faceoffs and groundballs. They are good enough on both sides of the field that if they can get themselves as many chances as possible, the rest will fall into place.

This game, to me, was more about the Towson Tigers. This is a huge step forward for their program and sets them up for a possible run at the Colonial Conference championship. I’m still interested to see where Fairfield is in their development after their fantastic season a year ago.

All in all, I think it’s important to remember, it’s February. Nothing to worry about. Coach Pietramala has done a great job at building this team. He is a great coach and will work out the kinks before the tournament. For now, let’s let Towson have their moment:

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