May 1, 2002

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The Game: Top-ranked Johns Hopkins (10-1) puts its seven-game winning streak on the line against 11th-ranked Loyola (9-3). Hopkins knocked off Towson, 14-11 in its last game, while the `hounds defeated Hobart, 14-3.

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins posted an 8-4 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Loyola posted a 10-4 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, where the Greyhounds were eliminated by eventual national champion Princeton, 8-7.

The Coaches: Dave Pietramala is in his second season as the head coach of the Blue Jays. He sports an overall record of 41-22 (.651), including a 18-5 (.783) record at Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays are 13-1 in their last 14 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).

Bill Dirrigl, a 1988 graduate of Syracuse University, is in his first season as the head coach Loyola. He has guided the Greyhounds to a 9-3 record thus far as boasts an overall coaching record 34-32, which includes three seasons as the head coach at Franklin & Marshall and one season as the head coach at Rutgers.

National Rankings: JHU Loyola

STX/USILA 1st 11th

Inside Lacrosse 1st T8th

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

Series Notes

* Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series, 36-3. Loyola had won two straight games in the series before falling, 16-12 at home in 2000 and 13-10 at JHU last season.

* The last four games between JHU and Loyola at Curley Field have been decided by a total of just 11 goals.

* For all the success the two teams have had, only once (1995) have Johns Hopkins and Loyola met in the NCAA Tournament. That year, JHU erased an early 3-0 deficit and cruised to an 18-5 win.

* The road team has won three of the last six games in the series with JHU winning at LC in 1996 and 2000.

About the Greyhounds: Loyola enters this week's game at 9-3 after starting the season 7-0. The Greyhounds are one of several teams that enters the final weekend with a chance to earn one of the at-large bids to the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Bill Dirrigl boasts a talented young offense that features just one senior on attack and three freshmen among the top six midfielders. Senior Michael Sullivan, whose injured knee does not allow him to practice during the week, is the top threat for the `Hounds as he has 26 goals and 13 assists for 39 points. Sophomore Stephen Brundage leads the team in scoring with 25 goals and 20 assists and burned Hopkins for three goals last season. Junior Chris Summers (14g, 13a), who scored four goals against the Blue Jays last season, rounds out the starting attack.

Junior Jim Fink anchors the first midfield unit for Loyola as he has 15 goals and two assists for 17 points, while Joey Case (9g, 7a) and freshman Matt White (7g, 1a) also contribute.

Loyola features one of the most experienced defensive units in the nation as seniors John Brasko, Bryan England and Mike Stromberg start on close defense, while fellow senior Michael Donlin holds down the rope. Junior Mark Bloomquist (8.16 GAA / .603 save %) ranks among the national leaders in goals against average and save percentage

These Are The Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week's game against Loyola with an all-time record of 804-258-15 (.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.

Home Sweet Home: The home white uniforms are always a welcome site for the Blue Jays. Currently, Johns Hopkins has won 10 straight, 23 of its last 26 and 29 of its last 32 games at Homewood Field. JHU is 11-1 at home under head coach Dave Pietramala. JHU's 6-0 record at home this season marks the first undefeated regular season home record for JHU since 1995.

Anytime, Anywhere: Including this week's game at 11th-ranked Loyola, 20 of JHU's last 21 road games have been against team's ranked in the top 15 at the time of the game.

April Reign: With the win over Towson, Johns Hopkins is 33-1 (.971) 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 51-6 (.895) in games played in the month of April.

A Final April Reign: JHU has won 21 straight home games in the month of April.

It's Great For Ratings: Five of Hopkins' 11 games this season have been decided by just one goal. Dating back to last season, 10 of JHU's last 23 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, 17 of Hopkins' 23 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 11 games of the season, 29 different players have seen playing time for the Blue Jays. Of the 29, 11 are freshmen and seven more are sophomores.

Couldn't Resist - More Youth: 19 players have appeared in all 11 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 11 games of the season (JHU has used the same starting lineup in each of the first 11 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' 108 goals scored in 11 games 41 have been scored by juniors, 37 have been scored by freshmen, 28 have been scored by sophomores, and two have been scored by seniors.

More Points of Youth: All 99 of the 100 goals scored by Johns Hopkins in the last 10 games have been scored by players who will return next season.

Still More Points of Youth: 164 of the 165 (99.4%) points the Blue Jays have registered in the last 10 games (99g, 65a) have been amassed by players who will return next season.

Final Point of Youth: 176 of the 178 (98.9%) points JHU has amassed in 11 games belong to players who will return next season. 121 of the 178 (68.0%) belong to players with at least two years of eligibility remaining.

OK, This is the Last One: Matt Hanna's third-quarter goal against Towson broke a streak of 101 straight goals for JHU that were scored by players who will return next season. The streak dated back to a third-quarter goal by Hanna in the season-opener against Princeton.

Give and Take: 56 of JHU's 70 (80.0%) assists this season belong to freshmen and sophomores.

Extra, Extra: Johns Hopkins is 18-for-40 (.450) with the extra man this season. The Johns Hopkins extra man unit is ranked third 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 six games, Johns Hopkins has converted 13-of-24 (.542) extra man opportunities.

And Then There Was One: Through 11 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 four goals and added one assist in the win over Towson to boost his career point total to 109. He is the only active player with 100 or more career points.

Leader of the Pack - Part II: Bobby Benson's four goals against Towson give him 81 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 six games, Benson has 19 goals and nine assists for 28 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 25 goals and 10 assists this season for a team-best 35 points.

It's Safe to Say: With four goals against Towson, Bobby Benson has scored at least one goal in 34 of the 36 games he has played in during his career and has 24 multi-goal games to his credit. Currently, he has scored at least one goal in 23 straight games.

Double Your Pleasure: JHU is 20-4 (.833) in the 24 games Bobby Benson has scored two or more goals.

`Hound Dog-I: In two career games against Loyola, Bobby Benson has six goals. He scored five goals against Loyola as a freshman. At the time, he became the first JHU freshman to score five goals in a game since Terry Riordan in 1992.

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 16 games in the month of April.

A Final Warm: Adam Doneger has eight goals and eight assists in five career games in the month of May. He has never had less than two points in a game in May.

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.

`Hound Dog-II: In two career games against Loyola, Adam Doneger has three goals and three assists.

"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. Against Navy, he won 12-of-16 (.750), including 9-of-11 (.818) in the second half, and he won 12-of-21 (.571) against Towson while grabbing 11 ground balls.

Among the Best: Freshman Kyle Harrison has won 81-of-134 (.604) faceoffs on the year and ranks 11th nationally in faceoff winning percentage. He also has a team-high 58 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, Part IV: Kyle Harrison scored Hopkins' first two goals in the 9-8 win over Navy.

Jump Start, Part V: After JHU fell behind 3-0 in the first three minutes of the game against Towson, Kyle Harrison ignited a 13-2 run with an unassisted goal at the 9:25 mark of the first quarter.

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-89 (.494) 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 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points.

Streaking: Conor Ford has registered two or more points in 13 of his last 15 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 second on the team with 15 assists, which is nine more than he had all of last season.

More Assister: 19 of Conor Ford's 21 career assists have come in the last 13 games dating back to last season.

Ford Tough: In his last 13 games dating back to last season, Conor Ford has 26 goals and 19 assists for 45 points. During the same period, only Bobby Benson (47 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 10 against Towson. He is currently ranked 16th nationally in save % (.596) and 15th in goals against average (8.24).

Fourth Quarter Saves: Nick Murtha boasts a .618 save percentage in the fourth quarter of Hopkins' games this season and a .625 save percentage in the second half of Hopkins' games.

Scherr-ing the Load: The Blue Jays boast two proven goalies as junior Rob Scherr (Reisterstown, MD/McDonogh) returns after starting all 12 games last season. Scherr posted an 8.52 GAA and a .587 save percentage last season.

Hail Hanna: Senior Matt Hanna (Geneva, NY/Geneva) scored Hopkins' third goal of the game early in the third quarter in the win over Princeton. He added his second goal of the season in the third quarter of JHU's win over Towson. In his 22 games at Johns Hopkins (he transferred to JHU from Loyola prior to last season), he has 10 goals and one assist. Three of his 10 goals have come against Princeton.

McDermott the Middie: One year after playing most of the season on attack, sophomore Joe McDermott (Rockville Centre, NY/South Side) makes the permanent move back to midfield, his natural position. Last season, McDermott finished sixth on the team in scoring with seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points.

Not Your Average Joe: Joe McDermott registered his first two points of the season with a goal and an assist in the win over Hofstra. His goal late in the second quarter capped a three-goal run for JHU, while he later assisted on Bobby Benson's goal that gave JHU a 6-5 lead.

More Joe: Against Syracuse, Joe McDermott assisted on Kevin Boland's second goal of the game, which drew Hopkins within 8-7 with 2:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Another Joe: Joe McDermott helped jump-start the JHU offense against North Carolina with a rebound goal just 2:18 into the game that gave JHU a 2-0 lead. He also scored Hopkins' second goal in the 12-9 win over Ohio State and the Blue Jays' third goal in the win over Maryland. His goal against the Terps stopped a 4-0 Maryland run.

A Final Joe: Joe McDermott scored his fifth goal of the season with 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Hopkins' 9-8 win over Navy. It was the final goal in a 4-0 JHU run that turned a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 lead.

One Career-High...: Kevin Boland's (Jessup, MD/Gilman) three points (1g, 2a) against Princeton tied his career high for points in a game. He previously had three assists in a 13-11 win over Navy last season.

...Deserves Another Career-High: Kevin Boland's career-high three-point effort against Princeton didn't remain his career-high for very long as he tallied three goals and added two assists to lead Hopkins to the 9-8 win over Syracuse.

I'm Honored: Kevin Boland was named the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse.com and AllLacrosse America.com National Player of the Week for his effort in the win over Syracuse.

Go Figure: Kevin Boland's three goals against Syracuse were one more than he had scored in his previous 14 career games combined.

More Figure: With three assists against Towson, Kevin Boland is second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and a team-high 17 assists for 28 points. Last season, he had one goal and six assists for seven points in 12 games.

For Comparison's Sake: Kevin Boland has not started a game yet this season and already has 28 points in 11 games. His 28 points this season are already more than any non-starter had throughout the entire 2001 season.

More Comparison: Kevin Boland's 17 assists this season are the most by a JHU midfielder since Matt O'Kelly had 20 in 1999.

Something About Number One: In three career games against teams ranked number one in the nation, Kevin Boland has four goals and five assists for nine points.

Muir of a Good Thing: One of the most athletic and versatile players on the team, junior Tim Muir (Collingdale, PA/Episcopal) tallied seven goals and three assists in 10 games last season. This season, Muir is anchoring Hopkins' defensive midfield unit. He currently has 26 ground balls to his credit and is helping Hopkins hold the opposition to just 8.27 goals per game. He had a career-high five ground balls against Ohio State and intercepted a pass in the final seconds to thwart Navy's final scoring chance.

Shawn, Brandon, and Brendan Who: Last season, seniors Shawn Nadelen, Brandon Testa, and Brendan Shook started on close defense and anchored a unit which allowed an average of exactly nine goals per game. Despite losing the three, who all earned All-America honors as least once in their career, the Blue Jays have allowed an average of just 8.27 goals per game through 10 games.

One Good Switch Deserves Another: Sophomore Corey Harned (Holbrook, NY/Sachem) was a standout attackman in high school, played short-stick defensive middie last season, and is playing long stick defensive middie this season. A standout on the wing on faceoffs, he picked up a career-high seven ground balls in the win over Villanova and added a team-high six in the win over Maryland. He currently ranks second on the team with 44 ground balls through 11 games after grabbing six against Navy.

Long in the Tooth: Senior defender P.J. DiConza (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) entered the season having played in 32 games with four starts to his credit. The next four players listed as close defenders (Michael Peyser, Dan DiPietro, Chris Watson, Tom Garvey) entered the season having played in a total of 26 games with one start.

Holding Them Down: P.J. DiConza held Princeton sophomore attackman Ryan Boyle to just one goal in the win over the Tigers, and that came with less than a minute to play in regulation.

More Holding: P.J. DiConza held Syracuse sophomore attackman Mike Powell to just one assist in the win over the Orangemen. Powell entered the game with 15 goals and 11 assists for 26 points in four games.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Below is a closer look at P.J. DiConza by the numbers

2 The number of internships P.J. DiConza has completed. One with a circuit court judge, the other with a New York City law firm.

3 The number of teams that have scored more than 10 goals against JHU since the beginning of the 2001 season in the 18 games P.J. DiConza has played.

3.68 P.J. DiConza's cumulative grade point average as a sociology major. He will attend Fordham Law School next year.

7.9 The average number of goals JHU has allowed in the 18 games P.J. DiConza has played in since the beginning of the 2001 season.

8 The percentage of the students in the Johns Hopkins senior class, including P.J. DiConza, that will graduate Phi Beta Kappa.

11.4 The average number of goals JHU allowed in the five games P.J. DiConza missed at the end of the 2001 season after fracturing his kneecap.

83.3 The percentage of games Johns Hopkins has won with P.J. DiConza in the lineup since the beginning of the 2001 season - JHU is 15-3 when he has played.

60.0 The percentage of games Johns Hopkins has won without P.J. DiConza in the lineup since the beginning of the 2001 season - JHU is 3-2 when he has not played.

Coming Full Circle: Junior Mike Peyser (Cold Spring Harbor, NY/Cold Spring Harbor) arrived at Hopkins as a close defenseman and spent most of his freshman year playing there. He even earned a start against Maryland on close defense as a rookie. Last season, he played the first seven games of the season as a short stick defensive middie before playing the rope the final five games of the season after P.J. DiConza was lost for the year with an injury. This season, he's back as a starter on close defense and held Princeton's Sean Hartofilis to no goals and Syracuse attackman Josh Coffman to just one goal. Through 11 games, he currently has 22 ground balls to his credit. He had 20 ground balls all of last season.

For Pete's Sake: Freshman Peter LeSueur (Garden City, NY/Garden City) scored a career-high three goals and added a career-high three assists for a personal-best six points in the win over Towson.

More Pete: Peter LeSueur posted the first multi-goal game of his career with two goals in the game against Virginia.

Still More Pete: Peter LeSueur picked up two more goals and added an assist in the win over Albany for his first career three-point game.

Another Pete: Peter LeSueur posted the first four-point game of his career with a two-goal, two-assist showing against Villanova and added one goal and one assist in the win over Ohio State.

A Final Pete: Peter LeSueur ranks fifth on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points. He is the first JHU freshman since 1992 to post 10 or more goals and 10 or more assists as a rookie (true freshman Terry Riordan and red-shirt freshman Brian Piccola both turned the trick in 1992).

Barrie Ball: After being held scoreless against Syracuse, freshman attackman Kyle Barrie (Narberth, PA/The Haverford School) bounced back with the first multi-point game of his career against Virginia as he registered one goal and one assist.

More Barrie Ball: Kyle Barrie posted the first three-point game of his career with a one-goal, two-assist effort against Albany.

When 12 or More Equals 3: Johns Hopkins has scored 12 or more goals three times this season. In all three instances (vs. North Carolina, Ohio State and Towson) Kyle Barrie has scored three goals. Against UNC, he scored three of Hopkins' first seven goals and assisted on another in the first 35 minutes of the game. The three goals and four points were both career highs. Against Ohio State, he scored twice during an opening 7-0 run and also scored the final goal of the game. Against Towson, he scored three times during JHU's 13-2 run that turned a 3-0 deficit into a 13-5 advantage.

Sudden Death: Kyle Barrie scored the game-winning goal just 2:15 into overtime to give JHU a 9-8 win over Maryland.

More Sudden Death: Kyle Barrie is the first freshman in school history to score a game-winning goal in overtime.

Notice a Trend: Through the first four games of the season, Kyle Barrie and Peter LeSueur combined for six goals and four assists and JHU averaged 8.00 goals per game. In the last seven games, they have combined for 21 goals and 14 assists and JHU has averaged 10.9 goals per game.

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