Johns Hopkins hosts North Carolina on Friday night in a matchup between teams still trying to answer an important question: How good can we be this season?
Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance this season, but missteps have hampered their ability to look too far ahead.
For North Carolina, two overtime wins over Furman and Lehigh provided enough of a scare to cast some doubt as to how well the Tar Heels would fare against a top 20 team. Johns Hopkins opened its season with a commanding with over Towson, but failed to follow it up in a 12-5 loss to Charles Street rival Loyola.
The two games against crosstown foes may help Johns Hopkins in its preparation for North Carolina — having the ability to match up with high-quality Division I opponents. The Blue Jays will enter Homewood Field as the more battle-tested team.
NO. 13 NORTH CAROLINA AT NO. 15 JOHNS HOPKINS
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 23, 5 p.m.
WATCH: ESPNU
The Blue Jays are led by a veteran offense that includes Shack Stanwick, Kyle Marr and Joel Tinney. The trio combined for seven goals and six assists in the win over Towson, but had just a goal and an assist in the loss to Loyola.
The revamped Johns Hopkins defense looked strong against the Tigers, holding them to six goals on 40 shots with goalie Brock Turnbaugh turning in 13 saves. It struggled against Pat Spencer and Loyola, allowing 12 goals on the same number of shots.
For North Carolina, Chris Cloutier and sophomore Tanner Cook have been the stars of the offense. Cloutier leads the team with nine goals and four assists, and Cook sits in a tie for second with eight goals and an assist. Each has gone lacrosse viral with one-handed goals, helping fuel the nation’s fifth-leading offense.
Conversely, the defense had a tough time with both Furman and Lehigh. It sits 48th in Division, allowing 11.67 goals per game. North Carolina led by six goals against Furman and three over Lehigh before allowing both games to reach overtime.
It’s February and teams are still figuring out who and what they will be in 2018. Friday night’s game will give us a good glimpse of what both Johns Hopkins and North Carolina can do this season. Plus, it’s a chance for both teams to pick up a strong non-conference win come May.