Hopkins Week has arrived. For all the talk sometimes lavished on other games throughout the year, Hopkins Week is, without question, the most intense week of the Maryland men’s lacrosse season. And the contest, simply known as “The Rivalry”, has a new wrinkle and more import than it has ever had.
For the first time in history of the game, Maryland and Johns Hopkins will meet as conference foes. And a conference title is on the line. By virtue of their win over Ohio State, Maryland assured themselves of at least a share of the first Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Conference Championship. With a win over the Blue Jays on Saturday, the Terps will claim the outright title. Should Hopkins win, they will claim a share of that title not only with Maryland but possibly with Ohio State as well.
In one more intriguing layer, earlier in the week the institutions revealed The Rivalry Trophy. In a conference filled with rivalry football games and rivalry trophies, it’s fitting that the first lacrosse rivalry trophy is between Maryland and Johns Hopkins. Regardless of who lays claim to the trophy in the future, only Saturday’s winner will be able to assert that they won the first Rivalry Trophy.
A BRIEF HISTORY LESSON
In writing about men’s lacrosse for Testudo Times, I frequently encountered a group of people I could only call “lacrosse delusionaries.” By the nature of their comments, they seemed to believe that Maryland should regularly win the National Championship and the frequently directed their ire and frustration at Maryland’s head coach John Tillman.
I want to be perfectly clear about this. I like John Tillman. I admire and respect him as a person and an educator. But my personal feelings do not color the level of respect I have for his accomplishments as the head coach of the University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team. That respect is built in part on his achievements within the historical perspective of Maryland lacrosse and in part on my interactions with other Terrapins coaches who have had remarkable success. These are the facts:
For those who believe that Maryland has some divine right to winning national championships, here is the list schools who have won more NCAA titles than Maryland: Duke (3), North Carolina (4), Virginia (5), Princeton (6), Johns Hopkins (9) and Syracuse (10 or 11 depending on your view of the 1990 championship). Prior to 1971, the USILA awarded the national championship.
Maryland last won the national championship in 1975 under head coach Bud Bearmore who left after the 1980 season. In the 40 years since, the Terps have had four head coaches. Dino Mattessich reached the Final Four once in three years in a time when he needed to win only one game to achieve that. Dick Edell reached the final weekend six times (three semifinals and three finals) in 18 years. In nine seasons, Dave Cottle reached the semifinals three times without getting to the championship game.
John Tillman is in his fifth year as Maryland’s head coach. In his first four seasons, the Terps have reached the championship game twice which is more than Mattessich and Cottle and only one fewer than Edell managed in 18 seasons at the helm. The Terps also have a semifinals appearance matching Cottle’s nine season output. That’s three Final Fours in in four years. Anyone who thinks that’s easy should ask Brenda Frese. Or Sasho Cirovski. Or Missy Meharg. Or Cathy Reese. Or even Gary Williams. As for me, I’d take three Final Fours every four years from every Maryland sport and be happier than a pig in slop.
MARYLAND AND JOHNS HOPKINS
Saturday’s game will be the 112th meeting between the schools if you are from JHU and the 105th if you are a Terp. Hopkins dates the series from 1895 while Maryland maintains that it officially started its program in 1924 and only records wins and losses since that season. This site is called TerpTalk so we’ll go with Maryland’s stance.
In the previous 104 meetings, the Terps have won 40 lost 63 and had one tie. That gives Maryland a .389 winning percentage. The teams have met 13 times in the NCAA Tournament with Johns Hopkins holding a 9-4 edge.
Under Tillman, Maryland is 2-3 against the Blue Jays. Both of those wins came in his second season when the Terps won at Hopkins and again in the NCAA Tournament in a game played at Navy. The Terps have not yet beaten JHU at College Park during Tillman’s tenure.
So, let’s go into this game looking through the lens of realistic expectations. One season has little bearing on another and the deeper one digs into the historical record, it brings less relevance and impact to a current contest.
Still, Johns Hopkins has been the dominant partner in this rivalry. Whether you count the number of NCAA Championships, the head to head overall record, the head to head record in the NCAA Tournament or even the head to head matchup between the current coaches.
The two teams are playing very well. Maryland has won 12 straight games since their only loss of the season at Yale but have been walking a very fine line between victory and defeat recently. Johns Hopkins got off to a rough start but has clearly raised their level of play as the season has progressed and likely views this game as critical to their season.
Believe it or not, Saturday night marks a new era in a 91 year old rivalry with 104 previous meetings. It will be the first meeting with a trophy at stake. It will be the first game as conference foes. And a championship weighs in the balance.
Still, to Maryland fans I say, root for the Terps. Celebrate if they win. Don’t panic if they lose. Let’s put the ball at the faceoff ‘X’ and let’s get it on.
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