Blue Jays outlast Cavaliers, end slide
After three straight losses, Hopkins comes back to win on Stanwick’s goal
For the second Saturday in a row, the opponent wore orange and the game went into overtime. But the result was much more rewarding for the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team this time.
After dropping an 8-7 decision in the extra period to No. 6 Syracuse on March 18, the No. 17 Blue Jays got a goal from junior attackman Shack Stanwick with 3:02 left in overtime for an 18-17 win over No. 15 Virginia before a sun-soaked 3,173 at Homewood Field on Saturday.
Stanwick’s game-winner capped the team’s first comeback from a six-goal deficit since a 12-11 overtime victory over Syracuse in 2005. It also ended a threegame losing streak for Johns Hopkins, which had not won since a Feb. 25 victory at No. 14 North Carolina.
The Blue Jays appeared headed into their Big Ten opener Friday night with questions and concerns. Instead, they will host top-ranked Rutgers, which was stunned by Delaware on Saturday, with a much-needed boost.
“This is a huge win,” Stanwick said. “Losing three in a row is tough for any team, and we have a tough schedule coming up. So getting this win is good for morale. It’s good to go into another week and be positive.”
The Cavaliers won the opening faceoff of overtime, but Johns Hopkins freshman defenseman Jack Rapine stripped junior attackman Mike D’Amario and then hounded him until he crossed the midfield line, turning possession over to the Blue Jays.
After a Johns Hopkins timeout, senior midfielder John Crawley curled around the left post and sent a cross-crease pass to Stanwick, standing alone at the right post for the one-timer.
Stanwick (Boys’ Latin) finished with one goal and three assists. He noted that the play was made possible because Crawley induced senior defenseman Tanner Scales to leave Stanwick.
“We talked about them not sliding in our game plan, but he slid early, and I was just hoping Crawley was able to see me,” Stanwick said. “He made a great play and put it on my stick.”
Virginia coach Lars Tiffany said the plan was to force the Blue Jays defense to move and then pass the ball to D’Amario to dodge off the right wing for a scoring chance. But the defense did not slide.
“They were able to press out on that pass to Mike,” Tiffany said. “He picked up the ball, but unfortunately, they said he stepped on the midfield line. So we got the turnover. I liked the play call. Give credit to the Hopkins defense for not sliding to it and leaving that wing open.”
Trailing 10-4 with 9:05 left in the second quarter and 13-8 with 5:52 remaining in the third, the Blue Jays (5-3) mounted a comeback to assume a 17-14 lead with 2:15 left in the fourth quarter. Sophomore attackman Kyle Marr scored four of his career-high six goals to fuel a 9-1 spurt over a 16:33 stretch spanning the final two periods.
But the Cavaliers (5-4) responded with a run of their own. Senior attackman Zed Williams sandwiched a pair of goals around one from sophomore midfielder Ryan Conrad (Loyola Blakefield) in a 1:40 span. Williams’ last goal with 11 seconds left tied the score at 17.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Conrad corralled the loose ball and raced down the right alley with a chance for the game-winner. But his high-to-low attempt was blocked by junior goalkeeper Brock Turnbaugh (Hereford), who had replaced starter Gerald Logan with 11:34 left in the second quarter. Turnbaught made seven saves.
Johns Hopkins, which also got three goals and three assists from senior midfielder Cody Radziewicz, outpaced Virginia in shots (62-41), ground balls (38-34) and faceoffs (21-18). But the key, according to coach Dave Pietramala, was a sense of composure.
“I’m glad that we had enough guts, and I thought it was guts to fight back,” he said. “In the nature of the way they play — that’s their style, and that’s their business — it allows you to be in every game . ... You live by the sword, you die by it to a point.” Video: Virginia 5 6 2 4 0 Johns Hopkins 4 4 3 6 1 Goals: V—Kraus 4, Aitken 2,Conrad 2, D’Amario 2, Williams 2, Emery, Fish, French, Lukacovic, Smith; JH—Marr 6, Radziewicz 3, Tinney 3, Concannon, Crawley, Frash, Madarasz, Smith, Stanwick. Assists: V—Aitken 2, Lukacovic 2, Conners, Conrad, Emery, Fish, Scales, Williams; JH—Radziewicz 3, Stanwick 3, Crawley, Kuhn, Marr, Spencer. Saves: V—Thompson 16, Railey 0; JH—Logan 3, Turnbaugh 7.