May 26, 2008
Recap |
Final Stats
Division I Post-Game National Championship Press Conference
No. 3 seed Syracuse vs. No. 5 seed Johns Hopkins
May 25, 2008 • Gillette Stadium • Boston, Mass.
JOHNS HOPKINS QUOTES
Head Coach Dave Pietramala
(Opening Statement)
"First off, I don't think a lot of 3-5 teams would have been here. First thing I want to do is commend the guys sitting to my right. I am extremely proud of them and the team I had the privilege of coaching this year. We went through some pretty tough bumps in the road and to rally back and get here, and to overcome a lot speaks volumes of this team. The team that played better won the championship today. It's as simple as that; we made mistakes and critical times. We didn't take advantage of the opportunities, and I think they took advantage of some of their opportunities. They probably could have taken advantage of more. The young man who played in goal today for Johns Hopkins was spectacular, but you have to take your hat off to Syracuse University. I thought that they played pretty well. I thought they've done a great job with their team considering where they were a year ago. You know, the bottom line is when they had to make big plays, they did. And we had to make plays, we didn't. We knew we had our hands full with a terrific offense, and I don't think we played tremendously well on the defensive end, and thank goodness that Michael played well. And the bottom line is the team that played better, won the game today. I remain extremely proud of Paul Rabil, Mike Gvozden and Steven Boyle, and every young man in that Johns Hopkins locker room. This senior class has done unbelievable things. Three national championship games; and they have helped us put Johns Hopkins lacrosse in a pretty good place."
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Michael Gvozden
(On taking a barrage of shots all day long)
"Well I think that a lot of credit goes to their offense. They move the ball pretty well, but they got off some good shots. Like coach said, our hat goes off to them."
(On having a lot to do in the first half, and if it made him tired for the second half)
"I just think they took some good shots, and that's the bottom line."
Paul Rabil
(On his evolution today; the progression towards a six goal performance)
"Well I was just getting shots that I normally take in practice, and the shots I work on my own. I think I was able to make them count. I took a lot of shots; not sure how many I took, but I ended up making a few."
(On where he thought the game changed)
"I don't think that there is such a thing as a game-changing moment. If you think about that, then you are a loser. We have always just been taught that is about the next play. If you mess up, you just get the next one and that's it. So I don't really look at it like that."
(On being a midfielder at JHU, winning a pair of titles and setting some records today)
"This is the most special thing I have ever been a part of in my entire life. I told the guys that in the huddle after the game. What we have experienced, and what we have been through in all the years. You build such strong relationships, and they are everywhere. It's something I was proud of last year as well, these relationships that you build as a team."
Steven Boyle
(On Syracuse's defense)
"I think that they were pushing out a little bit. I think that we didn't take care of the ball very well offensively. And I give credit to them, because they were on top of their game."
Michael Gvozden,br>
(On long Syracuse possessions, and whether he thought they made the JHU defense wear down a bit)
"We played a lot of defense, but I think that is because Syracuse made some pretty good plays in transition. They took a lot of shots, and if they missed, then they did a pretty good job backing them up. Whenever you play that much defense, it's tiring, but that's to their credit. They kept the ball down there."
Steven Boyle
(On the possible outlook for next year)
"I don't think you can really fill the void of guys like Paul, Steven, and Kevin Huntley, and Bocklet. Guys like that have taught us so much over the years since I have been here, and I hopes we can keep moving forward."
Paul Rabil interjects " They'll be back. They are strong guys."
Paul Rabil
(On Syracuse fans seemingly dominating the crowd, and if he thinks that would have been different had the game been played in Baltimore)
"You know we played in Baltimore last year, and they said the same thing then too. You know it was a great environment, and it should have no effect on the game."
Coach Pietramala
(On senior class, and how you replace them)
"I don't think you can. Like I told them in the locker room, if this is the worst thing that happens to them, then they are pretty fortunate. And that the hardest thing for me, is that I don't get the chance to coach that team; that group of seniors again. It's the hardest day for any coach, whether you win of lose, because ultimately you lose those guys. And this senior class, when we were 3-5, all I remember them talking about is how they don't want to be the ones who don't get to the playoffs. They don't want to be the ones that don't make the Final Four. They don't want that to be their legacy. And when you look back on their legacy, three national championship games, two national championships, and a majority of them are over 3.0 students. They have been well behaved, they have been good leaders, and many of them already have good jobs. How do you put into words how special those guys are. Paul Rabil became everything everyone thought he would. He finished his career with 6 goals, and I bet he would have traded every one of them for a win. Kevin Huntley finished his career with 2 goals, Kevin Huntley had a great career. So I don't think you can put into words what those relationships are. Those start when these guys were juniors in high school. I have had a relationship with these guys for 6 years. And while those relationships will continue, and maybe we can be friends now instead of players and coaches, I'll never have the same relationships with them again."
(On Nims' man-down goal starting Syracuse's run)
"Well you know I don't think we played especially well on the extra-man today. And I thought they did a good job on the man down. We pressed a little bit and, look, they've got guys that can make plays. It's as simple as that. Against Duke, we were worried about defending 4 guys. Against these guys we were worried about 9 guys. We had to defend 9 today; they made us. When you give up a man-up goal, or the other team scores a man-down goal, it's a momentum builder, or a momentum stealer. What can you do but bounce back. The fact that we went in down 6-5, we could have been down a lot more if Michael doesn't play well. I thought that we played better in the second half, but we made mistakes down the stretch, and at critical junctures, and they were little things. Running off the field when we shouldn't, throwing a ball away and getting behind us. You know, a missed slide; things like that, you just can't do against a Syracuse team. I'd like to say it's all them, or it's all us, but it's a combination of us not doing a very good job, and them doing a good job. Our hats off to them."
(On Syracuse midfield unit)
"That's not only this game, but we said we had to take Leveille out. Mike Leveille had one goal and two assists. If you told me that before the game, I would have told you our chances are pretty good. Steven Brooks, the midfielder of the year, had one goal and two assists, but one goal. We decided to pole him, and short Hardy, which we switched. And you know, Hardy gets two against us in kind of broken situations. One he comes down underneath us, and the other is in kind of a 4-on-4 situation. You know we are used to seeing that though. We see that every day in practice. We see 6'4" guys who are 180, 190, 210 pounds. We should have done a better job, but we take our hats off to those guys. They made the plays they needed to, and that's a strong midfield group."
