Navy sophomore Geoff Leone was living a nightmare only a defensive midfielder knows. Under 80-degree sunshine at Homewood Field, with the Johns Hopkins offense taking constant aim at him, Leone was fading fast as he tried to overcome painful leg cramps.
The Blue Jays were dominating possession time and relentlessly attacking the Mids' short-stick defenders - especially Leone.
During a second-half comeback that led to a 10-9 Hopkins victory, Blue Jays midfielder Brian Christopher took Leone behind the net, ran past him, circled the crease and scored. Soon after, midfielder Michael Kimmel blew past Leone from up top and scored.
"Those are the games you live for, but physically, that was one of the most tiring games I've ever played in," Leone said. "You know people are going to keep coming after you. You play defense as a team, but time and time again, [short-stick midfielders] are going to get singled out. "You're sometimes on an island out there. You're not going to let your guy go by you. You're going to take a beating. That's why I think it's one of the most fun positions you can play."
Welcome to the life of a "d-middie" or "short stick," as they are called in lacrosse circles. They are the marked men, the only two without a 6-foot stick among the six defenders in front of the goalkeeper. Their job goes beyond mustering the stamina, quick feet, skillful checking and love of contact required to cover offensive midfielders who are among the top athletes on the field.
"They're the most underappreciated guys in our sport," Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. "They are expected to play great on-ball defense and great off-ball defense, play the wings on faceoffs, pick up ground balls, ride, clear, push the ball in transition and sometimes stay out there on offense. What don't they do?"
"Get down, get dirty, go get a tough ground ball, keep your guy from scoring," Loyola coach Charley Toomey added. "If you do your job, you go unnoticed."
The defensive midfielder doesn't accumulate goals, assists, saves, win faceoffs or a ton of ground balls. He doesn't hunker down near the net, where close defensemen mark opposing attackmen.
The short stick doesn't roam around the top of the defense, where the long stick, the leader of the defensive midfield trio, takes on the opponents' best midfielder and tries to generate turnovers, often out in the open, with flashy checks and ground-ball scoops.
