SU takes upper hand in Hopkins rivalry with 3rd-straight win
For a player who said Syracuse and Johns Hopkins contests might as well be called Duke and North Carolina basketball contests, Syracuse midfielder Jovan Miller was surprisingly nonchalant following Saturday’s contest against the Blue Jays.
Despite all the buildup and prestige entering the meeting between the No. 2 Orange and then-No. 6 Blue Jays, Miller almost relegated the game to that of a simple non-conference matchup. A game between the two teams that determined last season’s national title last season and one that Miller said had more hate, almost seemed trivial.
‘I approach every game like it’s the national championship and that’s what we all did,’ Miller said. ‘I think our team came out and played very well and it was a normal game for us and we just executed.’
Perhaps that’s what winning three straight contests in such a series does to excitement, because for just the second time in school history, Syracuse defeated Johns Hopkins in three consecutive games. The last time Syracuse won three in a row against Hopkins was in 1988. This year’s win seemed to cool the rivalry mentality – at least on the Syracuse sidelines.
‘We both lost a lot to graduation this year and we’re both different teams this year as compared to last year,’ senior midfielder Matt Abbott said. ‘And we were fortunate to get the win today.’
Coming into Saturday’s contest, the schools combined for 19 national championships. Each had won five of the previous 10 meetings and no team had won three straight since SU last did in the late ’80s. The prestige was certainly there.
The bulletin board material showed up as well. Before the game, Miller told The Post-Standard the Blue Jays and Orange contest was a matchup of teams who hate each other the most, and that once one puts on a Syracuse jersey, it’s almost as if they suddenly loathe the Blue Jays.
Miller backpedaled Saturday, and said he misspoke, and he meant a ‘mutual respect’ instead of a hate between the two schools. Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala, who along with his players acknowledged they heard of the quotes, would not express his thoughts.
‘I have too much respect for John Desko and the Syracuse program to even talk about it,’ Pietramala said. ‘John Desko has done a great job here. The game’s decided on the field, so there’s really not much to talk about there.’
But for all the surrounding incentives going into the game, the intense rivalry turned into a one-sided contest on the field. Syracuse controlled the action with 11 more shots, eight more ground balls, and ultimately the victory. Considering 11-of-19 Syracuse victories had been by two goals or less, the 3-point margin was almost like a blowout.
While the game ended in just a 3-goal victory, Syracuse led by as much seven goals when Stephen Keogh put in his second goal of the game with 5 minutes, 14 seconds to go. While Johns Hopkins battled back in the end, Syracuse never appeared in serious trouble.
Abbott said there is a little extra motivation for Syracuse in the contest, but just like Miller, spoke like a win over Hopkins is like a win over any other team in the country.
‘We go out wanting to win every game whether it’s Hopkins or anybody,’ Abbott said. ‘We gotta practice all week and focus on who we are playing that week and execute or game plan and try and win every game.’
On the opposing sideline, the fire in the series still seemed apparent. Pietramala said Syracuse has been very ‘hungry’ the past two seasons and that has contributed to the three-game win streak for the Orange. He said his team has encountered just bumps in the road, and might take that for granted.
Losing another game to Syracuse, though, is something Hopkins’ players don’t take for granted. Despite his two-goal performance, Hopkins attack Steven Boyle said after the game there is something different about losing to Syracuse.
‘Anytime you lose its not going to go over well, but this is such an intense rivalry,’ Boyle said. ‘We were pretty fired up to play and when you lose a game like this, it’s kind of tough.’
