Resurgent Hopkins Lacrosse Takes Aim at UVA
The #9 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (5-2) are headed to Charlottesville, Va. this Saturday to face the #10 Virginia Cavaliers (6-2) in a pivotal Big Ten-ACC showdown.
Two early season losses to #6 Loyola (MD) and #20 North Carolina were causes for concern, but Hopkins has recovered marvelously since beginning the season with a 1-2 record. The Blue Jays are riding their largest winning streak of the season entering Saturday’s game, with consecutive, convincing victories against Princeton, #15 Syracuse, UMBC, and Delaware in the rear-view mirror.
The #10 Virginia Cavaliers are fresh off of a dominant victory over Dartmouth this past Tuesday. Tougher competitors have given the Cavaliers trouble this season, with losses to #15 Syracuse and #4 Notre Dame already in the books. Saturday’s matchup against the Blue Jays will be a crucial test of the Cavaliers’ ability to go toe-to-toe with the nation’s most talented teams.
The Blue Jays are led by senior attackman Shack Stanwick, a product of The Boys’ Latin School in Baltimore, who has accumulated 28 points so far this season. Stanwick and midfielder Joel Tinney lead the team in assists on the year with 16 and 14, respectively.
The Cavaliers’ explosive sophomore attackman Michael Kraus is a player to watch this Saturday. The Connecticut native has 40 points on the season, which is good enough for eighth most in Division I. Sophomore midfielder Dox Aitken has already tallied 38 shots on goal this year, which is second on the team to Kraus’s 44.
The matchup between #9 Johns Hopkins and #10 Virginia will begin at 11:30 a.m. this Saturday. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
