Impact of Hopkins Loss

[jdturtle02]

Hofstra over Hopkins 8-7 (OT)
What a shock this was … and as I read the Hopkins vs. Hofstra thread, the main question seemed to be "what happens to the No. 1 Blue Jays now?" Hope the insiders keep commenting on how the season's biggest upset to date happened. But I think the discussion about poll position warrants its own thread.

I'm calling this a "weather upset." No excuses, but on the road, cold, rainy and all-around nasty. And Hofstra isn't just a team, it's a legit program, so this stuff happens. Impact? This is how I see the next top ten:

1. Duke (5-0)
2. Virginia (6-0)
3. North Carolina (4-0)
4. Johns Hopkins (3-1)
5. Maryland (4-1)
6. Syracuse (3-1)
7. Notre Dame (4-1)
8. Cornell (2-1)
9. Navy (4-1)
10. Delaware (5-0)

Take it easy, Fightin' Blue Hens fans, your shot at a solid top ten ranking comes soon against Georgetown.

[bethsc]

I am a Hofstra fan and I am not calling it a weather upset, because plenty of other teams won yesterday in the pouring rain. If Hopkins had won, would it of been a weather "win" BTW, I would've hated to been on Petro's bus ride back to MD, hahahhaha!

[itsthatkid]

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r90/face0ff117/Catsss/funny-pictures-sad-cat-blackandwhit.jpg

[JHU Jays girl]

i'd be lying if i said this is an easy loss to shake of..
but i just keep telling myself "remember last season; remember last season." i went to the game at Homewood last year when they lost to virginia, and i think they're loss put them at 4-3 or 3-4..something like that.. anyway after the game i was talking to my dad on the way home about how i'll always support the Jays, but there was no way they were gonna be playing on memorial day.
:runaway: :dummy:


and real teams are made be the way the rebound from a loss, right? i guess we'll see, but it's WAY too early in the season to count any one out, let alone Hop...

[jdturtle02]

Hey bethsc, good to hear from the Pride. The reference to "weather upset" wasn't meant as a slight, just an observation. Hofstra claimed a marquee win, which is not rare for that program. Most coaches and players would agree field condition affects not only the physical, but also the mental game. A sloppy, slippery surface impairs the ability to plant and pivot -- vital to dodging, motion fakes and close D; adversely affects timing -- hard to accelerate for passes, ground balls and breaks; and affects ball action -- hard to read bounces and rolls. A few inopportune slips, and a player's confidence can take a hit, or at least negatively impact what he might otherwise do without thinking. The bigger you are and faster you play, the greater the challenges.

Hopkins ranges from 15 to 30 pounds bigger than the Pride at most positions, and does well when pushing … Though I didn't see the game, the weather likely neutralized the Blue Jays' advantages on both fronts. I could be wrong, but I'd bet on a dry field in the mid-70s, this would have been a significantly different game. Congrats to Hofstra … but there's a reason this will be considered a major upset. True, other teams played in the same slop, but most of the winners were on their home fields and there were no other eye-popping upsets -- although Army nearly toppled No. 8 Cornell on the road under similar conditions.

[HVlaxa7]

ehhh i think that hopkins willl go to 3 not unc

[lax-crazy]

I only really think the lose affects the poll. Just like last year, they lost a couple of games, and still won the championship. This is lose will either go a few ways.

1.strengthen the program.
2. mess with there confidence
3. do nothing at all.

It will probably be the first one. Petro isn't one to take nothing from a lose. So I don't expect hopkins to be effected negatively from this lose.

[lovinlax101]

I think JHU will come back. 1 loss shouldn't put them back that far.

[Prof. Mushroom]

I would guess that Hopkins will drop to #4 or #5. I would expect (and hope) them to rebound fairly quickly. I don't think the loss will have too big of an effect on the rest of the season.

[lax-crazy]

I would guess that Hopkins will drop to #4 or #5. I would expect (and hope) them to rebound fairly quickly. I don't think the loss will have too big of an effect on the rest of the season.

I'm pretty sure that it won't effect anything. I mean maybe the seeds at the end of the season but thats it really. They will drop in the polls but... it's not like that really effects anything.

[Prof. Mushroom]

I'm pretty sure that it won't effect anything. I mean maybe the seeds at the end of the season but thats it really. They will drop in the polls but... it's not like that really effects anything.
Correct. And I just realized we should be using "affect", not "effect".

[lax-crazy]

Correct. And I just realized we should be using "affect", not "effect".

I always get that rule incorrect, effect effects the affect.... or something...

[navylax161]

1. duke
2. UVA
3. UNC
4. hopkins
5. syracuse
6. maryland
7. cornell
8. deleware
9. notre dame
10. navy

teams almost in the top 10: army, loyola, georgetown (people will finally
realize they arent that special), bucknell, princeton

^^^no order

[jdturtle02]

Thought Syracuse would win today, but I also thought it would be a tad easier. Guess I'm still waiting for the Orange offense to break out -- since last season! Syracuse got an electrifying win over Georgetown in overtime in the Dome, overcoming a 7-4 deficit in the second half to win 9-8.

I still can't move them into my top five. Not yet. Maryland dominated the Hoyas at Georgetown (11-6), and has the same record against ranked teams (2-1), but the Terps' are 1-1 against top five opponents (rank on game day), the Orange are 0-1. The Terps' only loss was to No. 1 Duke at their house. But I can see where the weight of the northern region voters could push the Orange up there. Both will have plenty of opportunities to move up.

[lax-crazy]

Thought Syracuse would win today, but I also thought it would be a tad easier. Guess I'm still waiting for the Orange offense to break out -- since last season! Syracuse got an electrifying win over Georgetown in overtime in the Dome, overcoming a 7-4 deficit in the second half to win 9-8.

I still can't move them into my top five. Not yet. Maryland dominated the Hoyas at Georgetown (11-6), and has the same record against ranked teams (2-1), but the Terps' are 1-1 against top five opponents (rank on game day), the Orange are 0-1. The Terps' only loss was to No. 1 Duke at their house. But I can see where the weight of the northern region voters could push the Orange up there. Both will have plenty of opportunities to move up.

The only thing the Orange didn't do well at was putting the ball in the back of the net. Check the box score and all of that stuff. they dominated at X, in shots, clears, and in Gbs. They had a hard shooting day, hit what.. like 10 pipes in the day, maybe more.

There shooting was a little off it's just something to work on.

[jdturtle02]

Yeah, you're right. In fact, the domination was pretty striking. I enjoyed reading the thread on this game after I heard the final score, and could hear all the "pings" ... good job. But finishing is as important as all the rest, so there's another reason not to bump the Orange too high too early. They won this game, but they struggled all afternoon ... got some work to do.

[lax-crazy]

Yeah, you're right. In fact, the domination was pretty striking. I enjoyed reading the thread on this game after I heard the final score, and could hear all the "pings" ... good job. But finishing is as important as all the rest, so there's another reason not to bump the Orange too high too early. They won this game, but they struggled all afternoon ... got some work to do.

I agree that they have work to do, but so do many teams still. Cuse is still a work in progress, but they are real close to being amazing.

[jdturtle02]

No argument here. I called Syracuse the "team to watch" before the Konica Minolta Faceoff Classic, and they certainly haven't disappointed.

[xknuckles]

was paul rabil playing in the game? if he did, he didnt seem to have any stats

[hvlacrosse311]

I think it should go

1.Duke
2.UVA
3.UNC
4.Syracuse
5.Maryland
6.Hopkins
7.Delaware
8.Cornell
9.Notre Dame
10.Navy

[lax-crazy]

was paul rabil playing in the game? if he did, he didnt seem to have any stats

oh he played, just not very well

[laxmaniac101]

i dont see how everyone is so quick to jump on hopkins.

they got upset true. however they killed princeton while UVA squeaked one out. i think hopkins drops to 2 or 3 but not 4 and definitely not 6

[mlwlax]

i agree hvlax that syracuse should def. be infront of hopkins

[hvlacrosse311]

i dont see how everyone is so quick to jump on hopkins.

they got upset true. however they killed princeton while UVA squeaked one out. i think hopkins drops to 2 or 3 but not 4 and definitely not 6

They lost to an unranked team though, thats why they should fall that far. Last year when duke lost to No.13 Loyola they fell to No.5 in the polls after being No.1.

[Laxattack05]

all i can say from the first few games of the season... it looks like there's Duke, then there's everyone else...

[EAlax]

Well, Duke has to play the best of the rest over the next three weeks. Interesting to see how they will handle very good teams like VA, UNC and then Hopkins April 5th. Boy I'd love to be at that game!

[lax-crazy]

They already played Marland ranked 4th at the time and is still doing well, and Loyola who we all thought would do MUCH better than they did. But yes, Duke's real test is coming up.

Go Duke, steamroll everyone this season lol

[GoBucks]

Come on guys, it's only March. It really doesn't matter who's in the top 10 until Arpil and May. Then we'll see who deserves their rankings, and we'll also see if there'll be any more upsets.

[lax-crazy]

Come on guys, it's only March. It really doesn't matter who's in the top 10 until Arpil and May. Then we'll see who deserves their rankings, and we'll also see if there'll be any more upsets.

I agree the rankings don't mean anything, but I still love seeing duke in the stop seed. Also like seeing syracuse getting some respect.

[snafoo]

I was at the Hofstra game and the weather wasn't too bad. Yeah it did rain a little bit through the game but the bad stuff happened before and after. The field is the new nexturf or whatever its called and I really didn't see too many people having problems with their footing. The problem seemed to be in players pockets with alot of bad passing and shooting due to the weather. Hopkins got dominated at the X and its hard to pull out a win when you don't have the ball

[LaxDad27]

I don't understand the "weather upset". It wasn't raining the 1st half when Hofstra dominated the game. It wasn't until the winds and rains came that Hopkins did better.

[QBYattackmen15]

ignoring what other poepel are saying and just syaing whats on topic, i believe this loss is bigger than any loss last season. i know some of you guys wont agree so please dont argue, to each his own. anyway, i think this because they came into this season as the number one, the big cheese, all their great Midfielders were coming back and everyone was on their hands and knees for Rabil. But then Rabil comes out, does i think really good in only 1 of his games(Princeton), but gets not nearly the points that he is capable of. But the reason i dont think last seasons loss(es) were as big because last seaosn, they were big, thay had lost a couple times already and it wasnt a big deal, but this season, Their Team isnt meshing, Rabils not performing as well as he could be, and thier team sint getting the points. I DO BELIEVE they will rebound though. just like last season.

[navylax161]

new rankings are up. the jays are down to #4.

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=65840&cat=67360&hidecontent=yes&id=182896

[Fire_Truck]

just so u know...rabil and huntly combined for a whopping one for fifteen on their shots in the hofstra game
I have no idea how they can get by a duke or a UVA with that kinda play
the weather had nothing to do with it...and if it did Hopkins should have been able to deal with some adversity...hofstra played on the same field as them and actually won

[jdturtle02]

Some great comments here, gang ... my favorite is "I has a sad" ... Had a feeling the "weather upset" reference would invoke some incredulity. Used it half tongue-in-cheek, like we used to do when we had no other explanation for a really bad outing. My buds got it. Not surprised by Hopkins at No. 4, and Hofstra entered the USILA top 20 at No. 10! This thread has me pumped about Hofstra at Princeton and Syracuse at Hopkins on Saturday. Anyone who hasn't done so this season should check out Stegmakk's "Weekend games poll" and post your predictions. Think he puts it up on Wednesday. The next slate will be terrific, and based on this and other "gameday" threads, maybe he should call this "Discovery Weekend." It's still early in the season, but we'll know a lot more about the Pride, Tigers, Jays, Orange, Tar Heels, Blue Hens, Black Knights and others by Sunday evening.