Johns Hopkins 2024

[norcalhop]

Melendez's performance has been a mystery. Truely positionless offense tonight. No one was playing their position effectively outside of degnon.

[old salt]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

[norcalhop]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

I think it's time to retire the series and schedule some actual cupcakes like others have. What's mount saint mary's up to?

[DocBarrister]

Last season, Melendez (37) and English (6) produced 43 goals. 8 this season and English is out for the year. That’s a lot of offense that has vanished.

And you can’t rely on Degnon to score 5 goals every game.

The Hopkins O is seriously messed up right now.

The O doesn’t lack talent. They don’t lack athleticism or speed. They don’t lack depth. We know they can score a lot of goals against good teams.

What they do lack is consistency. Seems like someone on the O is always having a bad game. The O also seems to take a quarter off on occasion.

Degnon is masking some serious deficiencies on the O.

DocBarrister

[norcalhop]

Last season, Melendez (37) and English (6) produced 43 goals. 8 this season and English is out for the year. That’s a lot of offense that has vanished.

And you can’t rely on Degnon to score 5 goals every game.

The Hopkins O is seriously messed up right now.

The O doesn’t lack talent. They don’t lack athleticism or speed. They don’t lack depth. We know they can score a lot of goals against good teams.

What they do lack is consistency. Seems like someone on the O is always having a bad game. The O also seems to take a quarter off on occasion.

Degnon is masking some serious deficiencies on the O.

DocBarrister

Team needs an alpha dodging option that isn't afraid to go to the track. I thought that would be Angeles, Melendez, or possibly Collison. But none have shown that assertiveness with any effectiveness on a consistent basis. I'd be all for starting Ayers just to experiment.

[DocBarrister]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

I think what we saw tonight is the difference between a group of men who have volunteered to defend our nation and a bunch of boys who plan to make some serious $$ on Wall Street.

Don’t get me wrong … the Blue Jays have plenty of time this season to show what kind of men they aspire to be (see the Band of Brothers of 2007).

For now, they can take some lessons from the men who rode to Homewood on three different buses and embarrassed them on their home field.

DocBarrister

[DocBarrister]

Last season, Melendez (37) and English (6) produced 43 goals. 8 this season and English is out for the year. That’s a lot of offense that has vanished.

And you can’t rely on Degnon to score 5 goals every game.

The Hopkins O is seriously messed up right now.

The O doesn’t lack talent. They don’t lack athleticism or speed. They don’t lack depth. We know they can score a lot of goals against good teams.

What they do lack is consistency. Seems like someone on the O is always having a bad game. The O also seems to take a quarter off on occasion.

Degnon is masking some serious deficiencies on the O.

DocBarrister

Team needs an alpha dodging option that isn't afraid to go to the track. I thought that would be Angeles, Melendez, or possibly Collison. But none have shown that assertiveness with any effectiveness on a consistent basis. I'd be all for starting Ayers just to experiment.

That’s supposed to be Collison, Grimes, and Melendez. But that’s not going to work if they are collectively shooting 1 for 12 (8.3%) with just 3 shots on goal (25%) (all by Collison).

DocBarrister

[youthathletics]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

I think what we saw tonight is the difference between a group of men who have volunteered to defend our nation and a bunch of boys who plan to make some serious $$ on Wall Street.

Don’t get me wrong … the Blue Jays have plenty of time this season to show what kind of men they aspire to be (see the Band of Brothers of 2007).

For now, they can take some lessons from the men who rode to Homewood on three different buses and embarrassed them on their home field.

DocBarrister

+2

[51percentcorn]

There's clearly some issues here - specifically to this game and longer term. I feel - despite the loss last week - they might have looked at the Towson and Penn State scores and then went up 6-1 and said - done and done. All of the sudden I am seeing Carson Brown and Cam Chauvette in the first half. Those kids didn't do anything wrong of course - but it sends a message. Play the reserves when you're up by 5 goals later in the 4th quarter maybe. The execution and focus after the 1st quarter was truly 2012 Annapolis redux. Did you really think that kids that are going to go to pilot and SEAL candidate school are going to quit?

Long term - it's pretty easy to see the offense variability that is lacking - and it's tied to Melendez - Pete and Patrick Russell can say all they want about how he is doing what is necessary and he "let's the game come to him" but he's basically on pace for under 30 points - last year he had 53. He's on pace for something like 14-16 goals - last year he had 37. He's shooting 19% - by miles the worst of the offensive stalwarts. He shot 40% - repeat 40% last year. While he sort of looks OK when he has the ball in terms of mobility - it just isn't the same result. When you look at the Hopkins individual stats - the noticeable differences for pace from last year are Grimes (has seen playing time reduced and did not play well tonight) - Peshko is somewhat on pace (not far off) you have gotten zippy from Evans as compared to his 12 last year but the gorilla in the room is you are missing the 3+ points a game and the 2 goals a game from Melendez.

Defensively - the lack of focus was glaring - how does your AA candidate screw up the ball right in his stick leading to Navy's first goal? What was a senior AASSDM doing as Navy ran a fairly slow break and his guy is left all alone for his first goal of the year? I understand that he might have had to wait a beat or two to get on the field but it didn't seem like he was in any particular hurry.

[flalax22]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

I think it's time to retire the series and schedule some actual cupcakes like others have. What's mount saint mary's up to?

Didn’t we need Cole Williams heroics the last time we saw that squad? Careful what you wish for.

[DukeSilver410]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

I think what we saw tonight is the difference between a group of men who have volunteered to defend our nation and a bunch of boys who plan to make some serious $$ on Wall Street.

Don’t get me wrong … the Blue Jays have plenty of time this season to show what kind of men they aspire to be (see the Band of Brothers of 2007).

For now, they can take some lessons from the men who rode to Homewood on three different buses and embarrassed them on their home field.

DocBarrister

I love this forum.

[norcalhop]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

I think it's time to retire the series and schedule some actual cupcakes like others have. What's mount saint mary's up to?

Didn’t we need Cole Williams heroics the last time we saw that squad? Careful what you wish for.

That was during COVID and an anomaly. They are 0-7 this year.

[Hoponboard]

There's clearly some issues here - specifically to this game and longer term. I feel - despite the loss last week - they might have looked at the Towson and Penn State scores and then went up 6-1 and said - done and done. All of the sudden I am seeing Carson Brown and Cam Chauvette in the first half. Those kids didn't do anything wrong of course - but it sends a message. Play the reserves when you're up by 5 goals later in the 4th quarter maybe. The execution and focus after the 1st quarter was truly 2012 Annapolis redux. Did you really think that kids that are going to go to pilot and SEAL candidate school are going to quit?

Long term - it's pretty easy to see the offense variability that is lacking - and it's tied to Melendez - Pete and Patrick Russell can say all they want about how he is doing what is necessary and he "let's the game come to him" but he's basically on pace for under 30 points - last year he had 53. He's on pace for something like 14-16 goals - last year he had 37. He's shooting 19% - by miles the worst of the offensive stalwarts. He shot 40% - repeat 40% last year. While he sort of looks OK when he has the ball in terms of mobility - it just isn't the same result. When you look at the Hopkins individual stats - the noticeable differences for pace from last year are Grimes (has seen playing time reduced and did not play well tonight) - Peshko is somewhat on pace (not far off) you have gotten zippy from Evans as compared to his 12 last year but the gorilla in the room is you are missing the 3+ points a game and the 2 goals a game from Melendez.

Defensively - the lack of focus was glaring - how does your AA candidate screw up the ball right in his stick leading to Navy's first goal? What was a senior AASSDM doing as Navy ran a fairly slow break and his guy is left all alone for his first goal of the year? I understand that he might have had to wait a beat or two to get on the field but it didn't seem like he was in any particular hurry.

This reminded me of the Denver game when Jays led 11-7 in the 3rd and the coaches thought it was over, and started experimenting with different lineups. Momentum is powerful, but also fragile. Up 6-1 in the 1st, you go for the blowout and worry about substituting when the outcome is not in doubt. Hopkins gave Navy life when they had a faint pulse.

My doubts about Hopkins center more on coaching decisions than player capabilities. Why keep shortening the bench when you need more depth as the weather warms up? Why not call a timeout with 30 seconds to go in the half when you needed a goal to reverse Navy’s growing momentum? Because the 3rd quarter was a black hole for the second game in a row.

Bottom line: If you have a chance to put an opponent away whether it’s the 1st quarter or 3rd quarter, DO IT!

Congratulations to Degnon for breaking the Hopkins consecutive game goal scoring record. But now that the record is set, it would be better for the offense if one player is not taking a third of the shots.

Sometimes the pursuit of a record takes on a life of its own.

[Brewj]

Hate to say it, but this Hopkins team may have peaked at UVA. They have been playing an extremely sloppy brand of lacrosse the past couple games; missed ground balls, inaccurate passes, and an abysmal shooting percentage are not the recipe for a trip to championship weekend. I'm no longer convinced an at-large berth is even guaranteed without some strong performances in conference play (e.g., a win over Maryland).

If this team doesn't clean up the unforced errors and figure out how to get production out of the suddenly-invisible 2nd and 3rd attack slots then we can expect the rest of the season to resemble tonight's frustrating mediocrity.

[Hoponboard]

Agree. Whether it is fatigue, injuries or pressure, Hopkins play has regressed since the Virginia win. Even in Fall ball vs. Richmond, Jays played cleaner lacrosse.

I see breakdowns all over the field—wing and GB play, close and transition defense, attack and midfield offense.

In their defense, the team is generating CTs, but then making boneheaded decisions such as clearing near the box (#9). Ierlan is making most of the easy stops, except the critical one that trickled through his feet. The attack and midfield when not making errant passes, created numerous open looks which after the 1st quarter, shooters couldn’t cash in.

The team needs a reset and rebalance before facing Rutgers. Jays thought they were on a glide path after the UVA win to a tournament home game. That’s over now.

[steel_hop]

One other thing. At the current pace of play. Hopkins shouldn't stop worrying about a seed (that's not happening anymore) and worry about just making the tournament.

[steel_hop]

First time to watch Hopkins in real time last night and talk about flushing all good will from the UVA game down the toilet. That is not a good Navy team. Hopkins had bad stickwork but Navy's was worse. There really is no excuse to lose that game. There really is no excuse to be 0-3 in 1 goal games this year with the number of seniors playing (doesn't bode well for next year).

The offense looks completely lost out there with no idea what it is trying to accomplish. I agree that some of the guys have either completely disappeared - Melendez or not made the jum Collinson.

They don't want to seem to attack on fast break. There were a number of times they had opportunities to attack on full or alow fast breaks and just decided to not. The epitome is with 20 seconds to go in the 2nd quarter. I think Collinson decided to pull back from a wide open 7 yard shot. Hopkins then fumbled around and never got a better look. For a team struggling in O. Getting some easy shots would seem to be preferred.

Defense was okay last night. The tough ride has vanished it appears.

I will take exception to Smith playing well. I guess but he's done some really boneheaded things this year that you could argue have directly led to all 3 losses. He took the dumb high hit in Denver. In this game he took the ball away from a navy dman in the 3rd qtr. He then turfed the roll back pass to Irelan. Navy scored on that possession. And you could argue he nonsense with perennial DB Spallina fired up SU.

Last but not least, who ever picked the new turf should have their head examined. This turf is awful. Way to many guys are slipping and losing footing on it.

[OCanada]

Succinct.

It would be informative to know what turf options were considered, coat and pros of each.

[masondixonlax]

Navy deserved that game,

bus FUBAR - took them a quarter to get their sea legs.

Played hard for 3 quarters.

Absolutely.

Midshipmen showed their character … outworked and outplayed the Blue Jays.

Kind of what you expect for a bunch of guys who will put their lives on the line for our country.

Congrats on a great effort and win.

DocBarrister

+1

This is still a great historic rivalry. 2 wins in a row for Navy at Homewood -- that last happened in 1965.

This non-conference week seems to work for both programs. Well attended by both fan bases.

Don't let this series end, again.

I think what we saw tonight is the difference between a group of men who have volunteered to defend our nation and a bunch of boys who plan to make some serious $$ on Wall Street.

Don’t get me wrong … the Blue Jays have plenty of time this season to show what kind of men they aspire to be (see the Band of Brothers of 2007).

For now, they can take some lessons from the men who rode to Homewood on three different buses and embarrassed them on their home field.

DocBarrister

I love this forum.

[coda]

Last season, Melendez (37) and English (6) produced 43 goals. 8 this season and English is out for the year. That’s a lot of offense that has vanished.

And you can’t rely on Degnon to score 5 goals every game.

The Hopkins O is seriously messed up right now.

The O doesn’t lack talent. They don’t lack athleticism or speed. They don’t lack depth. We know they can score a lot of goals against good teams.

What they do lack is consistency. Seems like someone on the O is always having a bad game. The O also seems to take a quarter off on occasion.

Degnon is masking some serious deficiencies on the O.

DocBarrister

Team needs an alpha dodging option that isn't afraid to go to the track. I thought that would be Angeles, Melendez, or possibly Collison. But none have shown that assertiveness with any effectiveness on a consistent basis. I'd be all for starting Ayers just to experiment.

I agree with this. Some of this maybe the downside of position-less lacrosse. I love the idea of being position-less and it is a beautiful when run at a high level. I do think the downside is a lack of defined roles. Who is the party starter that will dodge and draw a slide? The attack seems almost lethargic or lacking confidence to test the one on one match-ups. Maryland seems to have this same issue the last 2 seasons.