Every time Johns Hopkins senior Conor Ford has played Virginia, it's been a special game. As a freshman, he scored a hat trick in a quadruple-overtime 9-8 loss to the Cavaliers -- the longest game in either school's history. As a sophomore, his then-No. 1 Blue Jays suffered a 12-6 drubbing in Charlottesville -- their only regular season loss that year. As a junior last year, Hopkins and Virginia met twice. The Blue Jays survived a late rally by No. 1 Virginia as Cavalier attackman Matt Ward's final second shot sailed a few inches wide, giving Hopkins the game, 8-7.
Last year's second meeting? The national championship game. Virginia was again on the winning end, taking the title by a 9-7 count.
"Virginia year after year is one of the top teams," Ford said. "I think now there's also the national championship game looming."
Ford has been the stalwart of the Blue Jays' potent offense, which is averaging 14.2 goals per game. Ford, Hopkins' active career scoring leader, has switched back to his more natural attack position after spending the last two years in the midfield. The switch has opened even more chances for Ford, who leads the Blue Jays in scoring with 16 goals and 22 points.
"He's got a lot of confidence right now," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said of Ford. "The Hopkins kids are looking to get him the ball. He's like a jump shooter who can't miss -- just like Todd Billet on his best days. He's a squatty type, a small kid who doesn't look real athletic but he's a much better lacrosse player than he looks."
The 5-foot-10, 220-pound attackman does carry an intimidating frame but excels in his mastery of technique.
"I think I'm a pretty good shooter of the ball and have good field positioning," Ford said. "What I lack in size and speed I make up for in lacrosse IQ."
Not known for his defensive prowess as a midfielder, Ford said he hasn't experienced any difficulty remembering not to cross the midfield line to help stop opposing offenses.
"I've never been one to hustle back to the defensive end," he said with a laugh.
Hopkins hasn't suffered for his lack of defensive contributions. In three of the four games Ford has played against the Cavaliers, both teams have scored under 10 goals. Virginia and Hopkins always seem mired on close contests. Though Ford downplayed any personal significance of a burgeoning Hopkins-Virginia rivalry, the two coaches recognize a special relationship between the schools.
"The Hopkins-Virginia game has always been a big game dating back to when I was here," said Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala, class of 1990. "These guys know each other and went to high school together. It has grown even more since Starsia took over at Virginia because of the tremendous job he's done recruiting the best players in the country."
Starsia likened the two schools based on their dual strengths of academics and lacrosse -- a combination that attracts the same high school players to both schools.
"You have two teams that occupy the highest position in lacrosse," Starsia said. Hopkins is "another top academic school, and we're going to run into them on and off the field. I know I've recruited most of their roster, and I think Dave has recruited most of mine."
With these two schools, familiarity has only fostered a growing amount of respect for these perennially strong teams. For Ford, chapter five of the Virginia-Hopkins rivalry gets written Saturday night, and Virginia better be ready to contend with Hopkins' hot shooter.
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