April 24, 2002

The Game: Top-ranked Johns Hopkins (9-1) puts its six-game winning streak on the line against 15th-ranked Towson (6-4), which enters the game with a three-game winning streak of its own.

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins posted an 8-4 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Towson posted a 14-4 record, won the America East Conference, and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Princeton, 12-11.

A Look Forward: With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the race for the six at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament is wide open. With a 9-1 record and wins against seven teams ranked in the top 20, Johns Hopkins appears to have secured a bid. The Blue Jays are one of several teams that could still earn a bye in the first round of the tournament.

Towson, last season's cinderella story in college lacrosse, is hitting its stride as the regular-season winds down. The Tigers will try to stake their claim to one of the six at-large bids to the tournament with wins in its last two games.

The Coaches: Dave Pietramala is in his second season as the head coach of the Blue Jays. He sports an overall record of 40-22, including a 17-5 record at Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays are 12-1 in their last 13 regular-season games under Pietramala

Pietramala spent three years as the head coach at Cornell (1998-2000) before returning to his alma mater last season. He is the only person in the history of college lacrosse who has earned NCAA Division I National Player of the Year honors (1989) and NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year honors (2000).

Tony Seaman, a 1965 graduate of Cortland State University, is in his fourth season as the head coach at Towson and boasts a 28-26 record at TU. Last season, he earned USILA Coach-of-the-Year honors after guiding the Tigers to the NCAA Semifinals one season after finishing with a 3-10 record.

National Rankings:

JHU Towson

STX/USILA 1st 15th

Inside Lacrosse 1st 15th

Note: For purposes of pre-game rankings, the Johns Hopkins sports information office uses the STX/USILA rankings as each team's official ranking.

About the Ranking: This is the second time that Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one this season as the Blue Jays also held the top spot after knocking off Syracuse on March 16. JHU spent one week at number one before falling to Virginia. Prior to that, JHU was previously ranked number one for one week early in 1999. The last time JHU was ranked number one for more than one week in the same season was in 1995, when JHU spent 10 consecutive weeks as the top-ranked team in the nation.

Hopkins Lacrosse on the Radio: Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse games can be heard on WJFK-AM 1300 in Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins Lacrosse Game of the Week presented by Copy World begins with a pre-game show 15 minutes prior to faceoff and includes a 15-minute post-game show. Larry Quinn and Mark Dixon will provide all the play-by-play and expert analysis. All regular-season games (except the games against Albany, North Carolina, Villanova, and Navy) and NCAA Tournament games will be broadcast.

Please note that beginning with the Syracuse game, all Johns Hopkins games that are broadcast on the radio can also be heard on the official web site of Johns Hopkins athletics (www.HopkinsSports.com).

Hopkins Lacrosse on Television: The Blue Jays are scheduled to hit the air waves eight times this season. Games against Princeton, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland, Towson and Loyola will air on WMAR in Baltimore, while the JHU-Virginia game was aired on Comcast SportsNet. This is in addition to the Hofstra game, which aired in New York on the Madison Square Garden Network. Since 1998, Johns Hopkins has had 32 of its games televised and has posted an 20-12 record in those 32 games.

Hopkins Lacrosse on the Web: The official web site for Johns Hopkins athletics is located at www.HopkinsSports.com.

Series Notes

* Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series, 25-3 and has currently won five straight against the Tigers. All three Towson wins in the series have come by a single goal (9-8 in 1989, 14-13 in 1992, and 13-12 in 1996).

* There seems to be no middle ground in the matchup as games are either decided by one or two goals or are blowouts. Dating back to 1989, the teams have met 15 times. Nine of the 15 games have been decided by three goals or less and four have been decided by seven goals or more.

* The two teams have combined for at least 25 goals in seven of the last eight meetings and 30 or more goals in five of the last eight games.

About the Tigers: Towson enters this week's game at JHU riding a three-game winning streak, during which the Tigers have outscored the opposition, 49-26. The offense that took the nation by storm last season appears to be hitting its stride just in time to make a late push for the playoffs.

Head coach Tony Seaman features arguably the top attack unit in the nation in Kyle Campbell, Brad Reppert, and Ryan Obloj. Campbell steals the headlines with his goal-scoring prowess as he has a team-high 29 on the year and tallied a school-record 53 goals last season, but all three are capable of being the go-to guy.

Reppert and Obloj actually rank first and second, respectively, on the team in scoring. Reppert has 23 goals and 16 assists, while Obloj has 12 goals and a team-high 22 assists.

Defensively, Towson has rotated a pair of freshmen in goal in John Hunt and Reed Sothoron, although Hunt has seen a majority of the playing time recently and boasts a solid 8.20 goals against average and a .596 save percentage.

In front of Hunt and Sothoron, Seaman counts on defenders Neil Adams, Adam Baxter, and Wesley Speaks and junior All-American Danny Cocchi at the rope. The group has helped the Tigers allow an average of just 8.7 goals per game in the last three games.

While the offense tends to get most of the attention, the key to Towson's success could be defense. On the year, the Tigers are 6-0 when holding the opposition to 10 goals or less, but 0-4 when allowing more than 10 goals.

These Are The Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week's game against Towson with an all-time record of 803-258-15 (.753) in 114 seasons of play. The Blue Jays own seven NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles, and 6 ILA titles for a total of 42 national championships.

What 800 Means: With the 10-7 win over Villanova, Johns Hopkins became the first collegiate lacrosse program to amass 800 wins.

Captain My Captain: Senior defender P.J. DiConza (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset), senior midfielder Matt Hanna (Geneva, NY/Geneva), senior goalie Nick Murtha (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset), junior attackman Bobby Benson (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh) and junior midfielder Adam Doneger (Hewlett, NY/Lynbrook) have been selected as team captains for Johns Hopkins this season.

All In the Family: For the second consecutive season, the Johns Hopkins coaching staff consists entirely of Johns Hopkins' graduates. Head coach Dave Pietramala and assistant coaches Seth Tierney (class of 1991), Bill Dwan (1991), and Howard Offit (1981) all earned their degree at JHU. Prior to last season when Pietramala, Tierney, Dwan and Offit also comprised the Blue Jay coaching staff, the last time the entire coaching staff was made up of JHU graduates was 1984, when the Blue Jays were coached by Don Zimmerman (1976), who was assisted by Jerry Pfeiffer (1966), Joe Devlin (1978), Fred Smith (1950), Joe Cowan (1969), and Dennis Townsend (1966).

Brother Act: Sophomore Corey Harned is the younger brother of Chris Harned, who played attack for the Blue Jays from 1997-2000. Freshman Peter LeSueur is the younger brother of Paul LeSueur, who played midfield for the Blue Jays from 1997-2000 and served as a team captain as a senior.

Tough: Johns Hopkins' season-opening game against Princeton was the latest for the Blue Jays against the defending national champion. Hopkins has now played the defending national champion every year since 1973 (the longest such streak in the nation). The Blue Jays have won six of their last nine and nine of their last 14 games against defending national champions, including wins over Princeton in 1995, 1999, 2002 and Syracuse in 1994, 1996 and 2001.

Tougher: The game earlier this season against top-ranked Syracuse was also the latest in a long line of games for the Blue Jays against the number one ranked team in the nation. Since 1994, JHU has played 15 games against teams which were ranked number one in the nation at the time of the game. Hopkins is 8-7 in those 15 games, including the season-opening win against Princeton. Currently, JHU has won three straight and five of its last seven against teams ranked number one.

The Toughest: Johns Hopkins will once again play the most difficult schedule in the nation, a fact that was cemented with release of the Faceoff Lacrosse 2002 Strength of Schedule Rankings.

The Blue Jays have a strength of schedule rating of 175 to easily outdistance the field in the battle for the toughest schedule in the nation. The Blue Jays will play the other five consensus top six teams in the nation (Princeton/Syracuse/Towson/Virginia/Maryland) and seven of the top 10. Hopkins plays three of last season's Final Four teams and three other teams which advanced to the national quarterfinals.

Getting Tougher: As if Hopkins doesn't already play the most difficult schedule in the nation, the Blue Jays will be adding Duke to their schedule beginning next season.

Home Sweet Home: The home white uniforms are always a welcome site for the Blue Jays. Currently, Johns Hopkins has won nine straight, 22 of its last 25 and 28 of its last 31 games at Homewood Field. JHU is 10-1 at home under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Anytime, Anywhere: Including last week's game at Navy, 19 of JHU's last 20 road games have been against team's ranked in the top 15 at the time of the game.

April Reign: With the win over Navy, Johns Hopkins is 32-1 (.970) in the month of April since the beginning of the 1997 season. The only loss during that time was a 10-9 loss at Maryland last April.

More April Reign: Since 1993, JHU is a sparkling 50-6 (.893) in games played in the month of April.

A Final April Reign: JHU has won 20 straight home games in the month of April.

It's Great For Ratings: Five of Hopkins' 10 games this season have been decided by just one goal. Dating back to last season, 10 of JHU's last 22 games have been decided by just one goal. JHU is 8-2 in those 10 one-goal games.

One-Goal Turnarounds: JHU is 8-2 in the last two years in one-goal games. In its previous 10 one-goal games, JHU was 3-7 (during a span from midway through the 1997 season through the end of the 2000 season).

More Ratings: Since the beginning of the 2001 season, 16 of Hopkins' 22 games have been decided by three goals or less.

About 9-8: The Blue Jays have won four of their five one-goal games by the score of 9-8. This is the first time in school history JHU has won four games by the same score in one season. In three previous seasons (1910, 1987, 1992), JHU won three games by the same score.

It's a Record: The five one-goal wins for the Blue Jays this season are the most in one season in school history. The previous record of four was set in 1987 and matched in 1995.

Youth: It's no secret the Blue Jays may have the youngest team in the nation this season. Of the 40 players on the roster, 16 are freshmen, nine are sophomores, eight are juniors, and seven are seniors.

More Youth: Entering the season, junior attackman Bobby Benson, junior midfielder Adam Doneger, and junior goalie Rob Scherr had combined to start 55 games. The 37 other players on the team had a combined 35 starts to their credit.

A Final Youth: In the first 10 games of the season, 28 different players have seen playing time for the Blue Jays. Of the 28, 11 are freshmen and seven more are sophomores.

Couldn't Resist - More Youth: 19 players have appeared in all 10 games this season. Of the 19, nine are freshmen.

It Starts With Youth: Of the 10 players who have started for Hopkins in the first 10 games of the season (JHU has used the same starting lineup in each of the first 10 games), four are freshmen (Kyle Barrie, Peter LeSueur, Kyle Harrison, Chris Watson), one is a sophomore (Conor Ford), one is a junior with one career start entering the season (Mike Peyser) and another is a senior who had never started a game before this season (Nick Murtha).

Points of Youth: Of Hopkins' 94 goals scored in 10 games 37 have been scored by juniors, 30 have been scored by freshmen, 26 have been scored by sophomores, and one has been scored by a senior.

More Points of Youth: All 86 goals scored by Johns Hopkins in the last nine games have been scored by players who will return next season.

Still More Points of Youth: All 142 points the Blue Jays have registered in the last nine games (86g, 56a) have been amassed by players who will return next season.

Final Point of Youth: 154 of the 155 (99.4%) points JHU has amassed in 10 games belong to players who will return next season. 104 of the 154 (67.5%) belong to players with at least two years of eligibility remaining.

OK, This is the Last One: The last 91 goals the Blue Jays have scored have been scored by players who will return next season.

Give and Take: 48 of JHU's 61 (78.7%) assists this season belong to freshmen and sophomores.

Extra, Extra: Johns Hopkins is 17-for-35 (.486) with the extra man this season. The Johns Hopkins extra man unit is ranked second in the nation.

More Extra, Extra: Johns Hopkins was 5-for-7 with the extra man in the win over Ohio State. JHU converted on its first five EMO opportunities, before sitting on the ball in the final two minutes when they had two extra man opportunities. JHU was 2-for-4 with the extra man in the win over Maryland.

The Final Extra, Extra: In the last five games, Johns Hopkins has converted 12-of-19 (.632) extra man opportunities.

And Then There Was One: Through 10 games, only Bobby Benson (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh) has registered at least one point in every game.

USA, USA: Johns Hopkins junior attackman Bobby Benson earned a spot on the United States National Team and will play in this summer's ILF World Championships in Australia.

Leader of the Pack - Part I: Bobby Benson scored two goals and added one assist in the win over Navy to boost his career point total to 104. He is the only active player with 100 or more career points.

Leader of the Pack - Part II: Bobby Benson's two goals against Navy give him 77 in his career, the most of any active player.

Career-High: Bobby Benson tied his career high for goals (5) and points (7) in the win over Ohio State. He scored three extra-man goals and had three straight goals at one point during JHU's 7-0 game-opening run.

On a Roll: In the first five games of the season, Bobby Benson scored six goals and added one assist for seven points. In the last five games, Benson has 15 goals and eight assists for 23 points.

Topping the Charts: Bobby Benson, Hopkins' only returning All-American after garnering Honorable Mention All-America honors last season, led the Blue Jays in goals (28), assists (14) and points (42) last season. He has a team-high 21 goals and nine assists this season for a team-best 30 points.

It's Safe to Say: With two goals against Navy, Bobby Benson has scored at least one goal in 33 of the 35 games he has played in during his career and has 23 multi-goal games to his credit. Currently, he has scored at least one goal in 22 straight games.

Double Your Pleasure: JHU is 19-4 (.826) in the 23 games Bobby Benson has scored two or more goals.

Eye of the Tiger-I: In two career games against Towson, Bobby Benson has six goals and three assists. He had four goals and three assists last season and netted the game-winning goal with 1:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.

A Change of Scenery: Junior Adam Doneger (Hewlett, NY/Lynbrook) made the move from attack to midfield this season, where he is anchoring Hopkins' top midfield unit. Last season, Doneger finished second on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 12 assists for 30 points.

End of the Line: Adam Doneger scored one goal and added one assist against Villanova. The effort extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 29. However, Doneger was held scoreless in the win over Ohio State, marking the first time he didn't register a point since a 13-12 loss to Syracuse on March 17, 2000. With two goals against Navy, Doneger now has 16 goals and three assists.

I Like it Warm: Adam Doneger entered this season with six career goals in nine games played in March. This season, he scored 12 goals in six games in March.

More Warm: Adam Doneger has 29 goals and eight assists in 15 games in the month of April.

Triple Play: Johns Hopkins is 9-0 over the last three years when Adam Doneger scores three or more goals and 10-1 when he tallies three or more points.

Eye of the Tiger-II: In two career games against Towson, Adam Doneger has seven goals and one assist. One of his two career four-goal games came against Towson two years ago.

"X" Marks His Spot: One of the biggest holes the Blue Jays had to fill this season was at the faceoff "X", where now-graduated Eric Wedin took over 94% of the faceoffs for the Blue Jays last season and over 1,000 in his career. Freshman midfielder Kyle Harrison (Baltimore, MD/Friends) has handled most of the load this season for Hopkins. Harrison enjoyed an outstanding debut against Princeton as he won 11-of-15 (.733) faceoffs while also grabbing the ground ball on six of the 11 faceoffs he won. Harrison came back to win 5-of-9 against Hofstra and 9-of-15 against Syracuse. In the win over North Carolina, he won 14-of-20 (.700) and grabbed a career-high 12 ground balls. Last week, he won 12-of-16 (.750) against Navy, including 9-of-11 (.818) in the second half. On the year, he has won 69-of-113 (.611) faceoffs and has a team-high 47 ground balls.

Jump-Start, Part I: Kyle Harrison opened the scoring for Johns Hopkins in the win over Princeton with his first career goal just 1:22 into the game.

Jump Start, Part II: Kyle Harrison ignited Hopkins' game-ending 5-1 run against Syracuse with an unassisted goal with 7:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. Prior to Harrison's goal, Hopkins had been held scoreless for 26:01.

Jump Start, Part III: Kyle Harrison opened the scoring in the 12-9 win over Ohio State with an unassisted goal just 2:05 into the game. The goal ignited a 7-0 run for JHU. Harrison now has four goals and one assist this season.

Jump Start, Park IV: Kyle Harrison scored Hopkins' first two goals in the 9-8 win over Navy.

More "X": Freshman Lou Braun (Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington) won a career-high 11-of-15 faceoffs in the game against Virginia and grabbed a career-high six ground balls as well. He won 8-of-12 against Villanova and he is now 44-for-88 (.500) on the year with 19 ground balls to his credit.

More Scenery Changes: Sophomore Conor Ford (Timonium, MD/St. Paul's) started most of last season on attack and, like junior Adam Doneger, is starting on Hopkins' first midfield unit this season. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring with 10 goals and a team-high 14 assists for 24 points.

Streaking: Conor Ford has registered two or more points in 12 of his last 14 games dating back to last season.

Mister Assister: Conor Ford's three assists against Hofstra were one better than his previous career-high of two against Loyola last season. He assisted on the game-tying and game-winning goals against Hofstra. He tied that with a three-assist performance against UNC. He is currently tied for the team-lead with 14 assists, which is eight more than he had all of last season.

More Assister: 18 of Conor Ford's 20 career assists have come in the last 12 games dating back to last season.

Ford Tough: In his last 12 games dating back to last season, Conor Ford has 24 goals and 18 assists for 42 points. During the same period, only Bobby Benson (42 points) also has more than 35 points for the Blue Jays.

In the Nick of Time: Senior Nick Murtha (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) made the first start of his career one to remember as he limited Princeton to just two goals in the first 53 minutes and registered a then career-high 11 saves in the 8-5 win.

More Nick: Nick Murtha's effort in goal helped Hopkins hold Princeton to just five goals, the fewest goals the Blue Jays have allowed in a season-opener since 1983, when JHU knocked off UMBC, 15-4.

The Final Nick: Nick Murtha is the first Johns Hopkins goalie since Larry Quinn in 1983 to win the first three starts of his career.

Saving the Day: Nick Murtha registered a career-high 18 saves while allowing just eight goals in the 9-8 win over Syracuse. Seven of Murtha's saves came during the fourth quarter, when Hopkins outscored the Orangemen, 5-1.

More Saving: Nick Murtha posted 13 saves in the win over North Carolina, including nine in the fourth quarter. He also had 13 saves in the 10-7 win over Villanova.

Still More Saving: Nick Murtha posted 16 saves in the win over Ohio State, including four in the fourth quarter after Ohio State pulled to within 10-9. He did not allow a goal in the final 14 minutes of the game.

A Final Save: Nick Murtha posted 16 saves in the win over Navy and is currently ranked 10th nationally in save % (.608) and 11th in goals against