Blue Jays Find Themselves on Unfamiliar Terrain

BALTIMORE -- Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala gathered the team earlier this week and read aloud an e-mail he received from a friend about how to outlast tough times.

"It was about peaks and valleys and being in a valley," Pietramala said. "The e-mail said: 'One, they are inevitable. Two, they are unpredictable. Three, they are impartial. Four, they are temporary. Five, they serve a purpose.' "

It would have been impossible to believe when the season began that Pietramala would be receiving, let alone reading aloud to his team, an e-mail with that subject matter. Johns Hopkins won the national title last year and has back eight starters, not including the team's top defenseman in 2006 who missed last year with a knee injury. The Blue Jays began the season with three consecutive victories.

They haven't won since. Johns Hopkins (3-5) has lost five consecutive games, the longest losing streak since they started playing lacrosse at the school in 1883.

In some ways, it is business as usual around the campus entering tomorrow's game against No. 7 Maryland (7-3). This weekend marks the school's homecoming. If the weather holds, a capacity crowd of more than 9,000 is expected.

Yet the Blue Jays know that they must win at least four of their final five games to finish with a .500 record or better and be eligible for the NCAA tournament. They enter the game Saturday ranked No. 13, tied for the second lowest in program history.

"It's a tough position," senior attackman Michael Doneger said. "It's something Hopkins hasn't seen since 1883. It's definitely tough to deal with, especially being a senior captain. I feel like there's a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. And rightfully so. We need to get the team going in the right direction."

There are numerous reasons for the losing streak. Among them is a brutal schedule that has left the Blue Jays with seven of the current top 10 teams as opponents. "When our season comes to an end and we're looking back, we have to evaluate our schedule," Pietramala said. "I think our schedule has to change."

Pietramala also points to a lack of "doing the little things" in close games. Two failed clears in the final five minutes proved costly in a 14-13 overtime loss to Syracuse on March 15. An offside call in overtime gave Virginia possession for the winning goal on March 22.

According to players, coaches and observers, the Blue Jays are struggling with the mental side.

"Our offseason conditioning was great. I'm in much better shape than I've ever been," senior attackman Kevin Huntley said. "It's not that. It's not a lack of watching film or taking extra shooting practice. One of the things is, I think we're playing too tense. We're playing like we're too worried to make a mistake."

Johns Hopkins was at a similar point entering the Maryland game last year: It had lost three straight and was ranked No. 9. Midfielder Paul Rabil scored the winning goal in overtime. The Blue Jays won their next eight games, including the ninth NCAA title in school history.

A few days before the Maryland game last year, Johns Hopkins's captains asked the players to review the history of the rivalry, to become familiar with the game scores and recaps.

Earlier this week, Huntley asked a few players to do the same.

"At this point in the season, we do kind of have our backs to the wall," Huntley said. "But we still believe we can do it."