There will be a lot of flashbacks when No. 18 Syracuse men's lacrosse (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) battles No. 19 Johns Hopkins (3-3, 0-0 Big Ten) for the 60th time in history this Sunday. The matchup dates all the way back to 1921; the first-ever contest between the two teams ended in a 4-4 tie. The Blue Jays hold a slim series advantage over the Orange, 30-28-1. But that could all change this weekend with one of the newest faces on the SU sideline, who knows quite a bit about Hopkins lacrosse.
When Syracuse head coach Gary Gait announced the hiring of Dave Pietramala to be his defensive coordinator this past June, it was seen as the greatest offensive player in lacrosse history joining forces with one of the most heralded defenders of all time, respectively. As a player, Pietramala led the Blue Jays to a 1987 NCAA Championship and the 1989 title game, where they fell to Syracuse in what is widely considered to be one of the best championship games ever. Pietramala won the Schmeisser Award as the nation's outstanding defenseman in 1988 and 1989 and earned the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award as the nation's most outstanding player in 1989. He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2004.
Now, Gait and Pietramala focus together on toppling the Blue Jays, a team mostly recruited by the latter. One of those players, Connor DeSimone, reflected this week on his relationship with Coach Pietramala.
“He was such an influential person in my life,” DeSimone said in a Wednesday press conference. “I’ve known him since I was in eighth grade, and we still have a great relationship. So I think it’s going to be a little odd seeing him on the other side of the ball and seeing him in orange, but at the same time I’m excited to get him back to Homewood.”
DeSimone, a graduate attacker, is third on the team in goals (8) and second in points (17) this season. Last season, DeSimone led the team in goals (25), assists (20) and points (45) - all three totals were career highs. After practicing for so many years against a defense directed by Pietramala, DeSimone is tasked with having to take on perhaps a similar defense.
“We can certainly hope [Hopkins will see an identical defense],” DeSimone said with a smile. “We’ve been definitely watching some film on them, and we hope that it’s as similar as it’s been in the past and kind of what we’ve played against the last few years, but you never know.”
Connor DeSimone in mid season form. 💪
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) February 5, 2022
He goes for 3️⃣ goals to lead @jhumenslacrosse to the 11-8 win over @JAX_MLAX. pic.twitter.com/58nLjCJX8g
Back on February 19th, Johns Hopkins defeated Loyola to reach 1,000 all-time wins, becoming the first men’s college lacrosse program to do so. Despite this accomplishment, Coach Gait sees a lot of similarities between the two programs.
“They’re kind of a team in a similar situation we are,” coach Gait said in his weekly press conference. “They’re a team with a huge long tradition, and we have to try and get back to being a Final Four type caliber team. They’re grinding like we are, and they’ve had their ups and downs like we’ve had our ups and downs. So, this game is huge for both teams to try and make a step in the right direction.”
The Blue Jays come in as losers of their last two after falling on the road at second-ranked Virginia 19-8 last Saturday. On the other hand, Syracuse snapped a three-game losing streak last Sunday, knocking off Hobart 18-16 in the Carrier Dome.
So while Syracuse aims to keep the ball rolling, Johns Hopkins looks to end the losing streak at home. The Orange and Blue Jays square off at 4 on Sunday down in Baltimore. GZA Countdown to Face-off is live on 88.3 FM at 3:30.