Putting away No. 2 seed Syracuse was never going to be easy for Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays endured some queasy stomachs and sweaty palms during the Orange's seven-goal fourth quarter before securing a 16-15 win in Sunday's NCAA tournament quarterfinal at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
But prior to that period, the Blue Jays (11-6) had limited the country's No. 2 offense to just eight goals in the first three quarters. It was a somewhat surprising outing for a defense that is tied for 38th in the nation, allowing 10.4 goals per game. But fifth-year senior goalkeeper Eric Schneider said the unit is jelling just before Saturday's semifinal date with No. 6 seed Maryland (14-3).
"I think we're coming together, and I think we're all very motivated," he said Tuesday. "We've been putting in a lot of extra work, extra film and doing the little things that add up to performing better. I think the guys really care about one another and want to succeed for one another. So each possession, each play, every guy is on high alert."
Schneider has been critical to the defense's emergence, averaging 12.5 saves in his last four starts and 14.5 stops in two NCAA postseason victories. Coach Dave Pietramala said the goalie's 15 saves against Syracuse (13-3) proved crucial since Johns Hopkins had lost the battle in faceoffs (12 of 34) and ground balls (28 to the Orange's 34).
"We got the saves we needed to keep them to 15, and if we're not getting ground balls and we're not winning faceoffs, then we needed to have more than 28, 29, 30 possessions, and I would guarantee we did," Pietramala said after the win. "That allows our offense to get into a rhythm and allows us to put some numbers up."
Schneider said he and the rest of the defense are fully aware of how much of a cushion the offense can provide if the unit can get enough possessions from faceoff wins, 50-50 ground balls and defensive stops.
"I think everyone has just raised their level a little bit and is doing their job, and when you have seven guys collectively doing that, we're going to get stops and we're going to get the ball to our offense," he said.