Hopkins Tops Loyola for 5th Win in Row

Johns Hopkins 9, Loyola 6

BALTIMORE, May 3 -- As is their custom, the group of Johns Hopkins lacrosse fans called the "Blue Jay Bananas" threw a banana to their players of the game after a 9-6 victory over host Loyola before 3,522 on Saturday.

Their first MVP, senior defenseman Matt Bocklet, was thrown a banana from the top of the stands. He dropped it. It was about the only thing he mishandled all game.

Bocklet finished with a career-high 12 groundballs and helped hold the Greyhounds scoreless for 23 minutes 46 seconds in the second half. The other player to receive a banana, sophomore goalkeeper Michael Gvozden, finished with 14 saves.

The Blue Jays (8-5) enter the playoffs with a five-game winning streak. In those games, Gvozden has 59 saves and has given up 21 goals; Bocklet has 34 groundballs. After the win over the Greyhounds, Gvozden said the key to the winning streak is improvement from the defense.

"My defense is playing unbelievable," Gvozden said. "They are suffocating the attackmen and making them take low-angle shots and making my job easier. . . . And Bocklet [getting the ball] off the ground is a magician."

Loyola (7-6) entered having clinched an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament by virtue of having won the Eastern College Athletic Conference title. A banner commemorating the 2008 ECAC title already was hanging inside the stadium.

There were two key matchups, and the Greyhounds initially won both. Loyola senior Shane Koppens, the team's leading scorer, was matched against junior Michael Evans, one of the top shutdown defenders in the nation. On Loyola's second possession, Koppens backed Evans toward the goal and scored on a close shot.

The second key matchup came on faceoffs. Johns Hopkins senior Stephen Peyser entered leading the nation in groundballs. Loyola was without faceoff specialist Tim McDermott, who did not play for two games for unspecified reasons. In his absence, junior Michael Atkinson (Gonzaga) won two of the first three faceoffs and helped Loyola to a 2-1 lead.

The Greyhounds extended the lead to 5-3 with a goal in transition by freshman Chris Basler with 8:48 left in the third quarter. To that point, the Greyhounds had held the ball for 23:05; Johns Hopkins had possession for 15:43.

But the Blue Jays closed to 5-4 on a goal off a rebound by junior Tom Duerr. And it was tied at 5 after junior Brian Christopher beat a shortstick defender and scored with 2:20 left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, senior Paul Rabil scored on a no-angle shot for a 6-5 lead with 13:49 to play. From there, sophomore Michael Kimmel took over. He scored goals on back-to-back possessions, beating a shortstick defender both times. The second goal gave Johns Hopkins an 8-5 lead with 4:20 to play.

"I have to compliment [Peyser] and [Rabil] for drawing the long pole," Kimmel said. "Getting a shortstick was nice. . . . They were forcing me to my right hand, which was smart since I haven't done much righty this year."