Exciting Fall Ball played at Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday, October 13, 2013. Hopkins topped UMass 10-7. RHS Productions. Tags: Hopkins lacrosse, Holden Cattoni, Brandon Benn, Rob Guida, Wells Stanwick, Grant Whiteway, Andrew Sokol, Nick Fields, John Kelly, Joe Carlini, Connor Mooney, John Crawley, Jack Grass, Cody Radziewicz, Drew Kennedy, Kevin O'Toole, Zach Oliveri, University of Massachusetts, UMass lacrosse, Tom Gordon, Eric Schneider, Ryan Brown, James Malm, Wilkins Dismuke, video and editing by Robert Stephens. UMass Scrimmage Highlights I arrived with Hop up 2-1. But there was plenty of action left in this scrimmage: 00:39 - Holden Cattoni EMO. Holden is my candidate for the most improved Hop player. This stands to reason: Benn took a big leap from his freshman to sophomore year. It may take Canadians a year to adjust to the US game. Plus, Cattoni looks stronger and faster. 1:04 - Drew Kennedy (DK) has established himself as Poppleton's successor. I think the Jays can count on him to win the majority of FOs. Whether he can edge above 60% is the question. 1:30 - Nick Fields made numerous highlight plays. His reactions are so quick on GBs. 1:49 - Rob Guida really impressed in this scrimmage. He looks fully recovered and his passing has improved, as on this assist to Benn. 2:46 - It was interesting to see the instant scoring punch that Cattoni delivered within seconds of entering the game. His coiled shooting motion makes it difficult for GKs to track his shots. 3:03 - Credit Wells with finding Dismuke alone at the crease. UMass D man might have slightly deflected pass--hence the slo-mo. 3:49 - Love the give and go between Benn and Guida. Rob may want to drop down on this shot next time. 3:54 - One of my favorite sequences has Cattoni keeping the play alive with a a GB pickup after Brown's shot is blocked, Holden then passes to Guida who feeds Interlicchio with an outstanding goal in heavy traffic. Worth the slo-mo. 5:08 - A new phrase has entered the Hopkins lacrosse lexicon: Nick Pick. You have to see it in slo-mo to truly appreciate Fields' steal. 5:21 - While he didn't score a goal, John Crawley impressed me with his moves and field presence. I see him in the midfield rotation. His game seems well suited to this off ball motion offense--unlike Rex Sanders. 6:19 - Brady Faby, looking very comfortable, buried this shot from an assist by Guida. 6:45 - Another player who established himself in the three scrimmages was Schneider. He made a number of tough saves---including this one. 7:02 - Another freshman who has impressed is Cody Radziewicz. Here he steals the ball and leads a fast break. Will he be the Jays' Josh Hawkins? Lacrosse IQ, speed, stick skills, and excellent passing ability. I see him in the 2nd midfield. These New York upstaters know how to play full field lacrosse. 7:14 - Some moments in lacrosse are priceless. The reaction of the UMass GK when he realizes, after his stick is broken, that he is defenseless is one of those moments. 8:20 - Nice to see Ryan Mathews bringing the heat up top. 8:29 - Kevin O'Toole looks like the FOGO of the future, but he can also play a very good midfield. Jack Grass tries to finish this play. He has the same sort of skill set as Crawley. 9:03 - Finally, Radziewicz, this time looking like Scott Ratliff, deflects the pass, which leads to a Malm to Giblin transition opportunity. Really enjoy watching freshmen who can make things happen.

• published: 16 Oct 2013
• views: 301