No. 8 Johns Hopkins trails No. 2 Syracuse, 5-1, at halftime Saturday night, and someone needs to find out if the offense got a wake-up call for the game.
The Blue Jays have been outshot, 19-9, and only three of those attempts landed on net. Orange junior goalkeeper John Galloway wasn't forced to make his first save until there was 3:44 left in the second quarter.
A microcosm of the Blue Jays' struggles: junior attackman Kyle Wharton intercepted a clearing pass late in the second period and had only Galloway to beat. But Wharton missed the net completely and possession reverted back to Syracuse. And Wharton and senior midfielder Michael Kimmel have rung the posts with shots.
Johns Hopkins was especially lethargic in the first quarter, taking only three shots to the Orange's 10 and getting none on Galloway. And the Blue Jays had two 30-second extra-man opportunities, but couldn't take advantage.
On the heels of just a six-goal display against No. 6 Hofstra a week ago, Johns Hopkins needs to figure things out on offense – and fast.
Other notes:
*Michael Gvozden got the start tonight, and the senior goalkeeper has rewarded coach Dave Pietramala's decision thus far. Gvozden made five saves in the first quarter, including stops of senior attackman Chris Daniello and junior midfielder Josh Amidon in the high slot. Gvozden appears to be seeing the ball well and has put the memory of last week's three-goals-in-eight-minutes debacle in the past.
*As well as Gvozden has played, the Blue Jays defense still has some leaks to fill. Two of Syracuse's goals have come from the interior of the Johns Hopkins defense, and two more have occurred when Orange players have been left alone on wings. That kind of effort is not going to cut it with an offense this dangerous.
*Syracuse is winning the face-off battle easily, taking 6-of-8 attempts in the first half. The Orange has also been more opportunistic in man-up situations, scoring twice while shutting out the Blue Jays three times.