Here is the sixth installment of a series that checks in with the seven Division I programs in the state to give a glimpse into the past and the future. Teams are scheduled to appear according to the chronological order in which their seasons ended. Friday's visit was with Towson. Monday's visit is with Johns Hopkins.
REVIEW
The good: After a 4-6 start left the Blue Jays perilously close to missing out on the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years, they embarked on a seven-game winning streak that netted a share of the Big Ten Conference regular-season title, the conference tournament championship and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA postseason. The team upended No. 7 seed Virginia and No. 2 seed Syracuse to reach its first national semifinal since 2008 before falling, 12-11, to No. 6 seed Maryland. It was a bittersweet end for the players and coach Dave Pietramala.
"We had goals that we had set at the beginning of the season, and our goal was to get back to the final four and get back to the national championship," he said. "We achieved one of those goals, but we came up short of our last goal. So we're disappointed in that. With that said, we all have a very good perspective. For us, given what happened, it was tremendous to overcome what happened and to get to that point."
**The offense finished the year ranked in the top 10 in Division I in several categories. The unit ranked ninth in scoring (13 goals per game), eighth in shooting percentage (33.1) and eighth in assists (7.8 per game). Junior attackman Ryan Brown ranked fourth in the country in goals per game (3.4), senior attackman Wells Stanwick ranked seventh in assists (2.4), and junior midfielder Holden Cattoni and freshman attackman Patrick Fraser tied for third in man-up goals (11). Pietramala readily admitted that the offense carried the squad.
"I'm really proud of the job those guys did, and I'm really impressed with the job that [offensive coordinator] Bobby Benson did with that group," Pietramala said. "They were well-prepared week in and week out. They helped protect us defensively when we needed to be protected and when we weren't playing great in the goal. … A year ago, we put in a new offense, and we went through some growing pains, but saw improvement. And now in Year Two, we saw a lot of growth now that the guys were accustomed to it and felt comfortable with it and understood the nuances of it."
**Pietramala singled out a pair of players for exemplary performances. He praised senior long-stick midfielder Michael Pellegrino for his leadership and maturity for a Johns Hopkins team begging for those qualities. And Pietramala heaped accolades on Stanwick (28 goals and 43 assists in 2015) for his command of the offense and assistance in the growth of younger brother and freshman attackman, Shack.
"I just don't think anybody can truly measure what he did," Pietramala said of Wells Stanwick. "He was such a positive influence in practice. He played an integral part in the growth of Shack, and that allowed Bobby Benson to take more of a softer approach while Wells was the one who maybe put more pressure on him and demanded more. I think that was very helpful. He knew where everybody was supposed to go and would say, 'Hey, we need to calm down, pull it out, and reset.' Those are all important factors, and then the leadership that he showed, he's a guy that I look at and say, 'Wow, he had a huge impact on what we did.'"
The bad: The season began tragically when freshman defenseman Jeremy Huber was found dead in his dorm on Jan. 26 due to complications from pneumonia and flu.
Also, senior starting defenseman Robert Enright and junior backup Eddie Morris suffered season-ending knee injuries within a three-week stretch and the Blue Jays dropped six of their first 10 games. The squad rebounded convincingly, but Pietramala acknowledged the arduousness of that task.
"If I had to sum it up in one word, I would sum it up as challenging or difficult," he said. "The end of the season was very special, but it still doesn't take away the sting of what we dealt with. To get where we were was a challenge, and to deal with what we dealt with was quite challenging. So while the end of it was very, very special, obviously, we hoped it could have been a little more special. It was very positive, but I don't think you could lose sight of the challenges that we faced."
**As well as the offense played, the defense endured its share of issues. The unit ranked in the bottom half of the nation in fewest goals allowed at 10.5 per game (39th), man-down defense (62 percent, 42nd) and caused turnovers per game (5.8, 55th). Struggles in the net forced Pietramala to employ Eric Schneider and Will Ryan, but it was Schneider, the fifth-year senior goalkeeper, who finished the season ranked 36th in goals-against average (10.37), 38th in saves per game (9.5) and 47th in save percentage (.489). Pietramala said injuries and inconsistencies took a toll on the defense's cohesion.
"All of a sudden, shots that you felt comfortable giving up, you don't. Guys you feel comfortable giving shots to, you don't," he said. "I think all of it played a role. Quite frankly, I think the goal of this summer is to do what we did two summers ago. We looked at the offense – 'What do we need to do? What do we need to adjust and change? What does our personnel want?' I think we need to do that defensively. I think we need to look at some things, and we've already had some discussions about how we're going to approach on-ball play. I think we've got to make some adjustments there and be better there."
**Johns Hopkins did not lose a game by more than three goals and lost three by one goal each. Identical 16-15 overtime setbacks to Princeton and Virginia didn't damage the program's NCAA tournament hopes too drastically, but what galled Pietramala the most was that the squad was unable to protect leads late in the fourth quarter of those two losses.
"We felt like we allowed some opportunities to slip by, and quite frankly, we felt like the team that beat us, was us," he said. "You never want to beat yourselves, but we felt like our greatest opponent throughout the year was ourselves. That is not intended to belittle what Princeton did or what Virginia did. But in both of those games, we had leads with four minutes to go in the game, and we allowed them to tie it up and go ahead and win it. That's something we've got to really work on, and I think that was a frustration not just for the coaches but also for the players."
PREVIEW
Personnel changes: The most glaring hole is the one created by the graduation of Wells Stanwick, who left the school ranked second in career assists (124) and seventh in points (208). Freshman Shack Stanwick (28 G, 23 A) could slide into the quarterback role that his older brother so capably played, but that would leave the left-handed spot open. Fraser might be considered the leading candidate after his 13-point debut, but Pietramala said Fraser is now a midfielder and sophomore Wilkins Dismuke – who scored five goals in 13 games, including four starts – could open next season as the third starter.
"We think we've got a very talented young man waiting in the wings in Wilkins Dismuke," Pietramala said. "We think he's very talented. He was a starter in the early portion of the season and was playing well until we decided to implement Shack. I think it hurt his confidence a little bit. We started to move him and use him in the midfield a little bit more in practice, which I don't think he necessarily felt very comfortable with. But there is a great opportunity for Wilkins Dismuke."
**The Blue Jays bade farewell to a pair of starting defensemen in John Kelly (41 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers) and Nikhon Schuler (24 GB, 9 CT). They also said goodbye to Pellegrino (3 G, 3 A, 58 GB, 25 CT). Enright (6 GB, 2 CT in four starts) will return to join sophomore Nick Fields (16 GB, 10 CT) as starting defensemen. The third spot and the long-stick midfielder role could be a competitive affair between Morris and a pair of converted midfielders in junior Derrick Kihembo and sophomore Riley DeSmit.
"Nick Fields has a chance to be special and the fact that he wasn't an All-American this year boggles my mind," Pietramala said. "He's very, very talented. And then we're going to need some other guys to step up. Eddie Morris will come back from his injury, and we've been led to believe he is on course to do that. He is ahead of the pace in his rehab. And then we're going to have to find a guy to take that third spot and compete for it."
**Schneider's play wasn't as solid as last season's, but he was the most experienced goalie on the roster. With his graduation, the starting spot could be an open competition between Ryan, a junior who won two games; sophomore Ryan Feit; junior Jack Connelly; freshman Brock Turnbaugh; and incoming recruit Hunter Sells. Pietramala said this is a chance for someone to seize the reins.
"Now that there is an opportunity, our hope is we're going to see who these guys really are because there is competition," Pietramala said. "Before, it was kind of easy to say, 'The fifth-year senior was back, so I'm not really going to be the guy this year.' But I think you'll see more competition from Will and Ryan Feit and junior Jack Connelly. And Brock Turnbaugh is a guy who has a wealth of ability, and we actually considered playing him. So we return Will, we return Brock and Ryan and Jack, and then we have an incoming freshman that we think is very talented in Hunter Sells. It's going to be a very, very competitive fall."
Forecast for 2016: Sunny. There is plenty to like about Johns Hopkins' prospects for next spring. The offense that powered the team for much of the year returns largely intact, and the unit could get plenty of opportunities if freshman faceoff specialist Hunter Moreland (55.0 percent on 111-of-202, 45 GB) continues to grow. The defense is the biggest question mark, but the return of Fields and Enright should provide some stability. It will come down to the play in the cage and finding a starter from a large crowd. If the Blue Jays can solidify the defense, they should return to being a contender for what would be their first NCAA championship since 2007.