Blue Jays a team still searching for identity

Hopkins falls apart in second half after upset of Georgetown

Identities matter. Just ask the Johns Hopkins and North Carolina men’s lacrosse teams.

In the span of a two-hour game against each other Tuesday night, the No. 6 Blue Jays and No. 19 Tar Heels learned something about themselves. Unfortunately for Johns Hopkins, the lessons were delivered via an 11-7 loss before an announced 1,124 at Homewood Field.

The setback came just three days after the Blue Jays had mounted a stirring comeback in which they overcame an 11-8 deficit in the fourth quarter to upset then-No. 3 Georgetown, 13-12. Instead of collecting another victory for what would have been their best start since 2017 when that squad opened the season with four consecutive wins, they were left wondering whether their meteoric rise in the rankings was warranted.

“This is the first time that we’ve been the favorite or at least expected to be competitive in a top-level game in a little while, and I think that may be the biggest element of maturity,” coach Peter Milliman said. “We’ve got to learn how to compete in the top 10 if we want to expect to stay here. If we’re going to beat a top-five team, it can’t be luck, it can’t be random. We’ve got to find ways to play that level of lacrosse consistently.”

When junior midfielder Brendan Grimes converted a skip pass from senior attackman Jacob Angelus with 3.8 seconds left in the second quarter, Johns Hopkins (2-1) walked into halftime with a 6-3 advantage. That outburst included a rare goal by senior goalie Tim Marcille, whose 55-yard shot bounced once and into a net vacated by Tar Heels junior goalkeeper Collin Krieg as the latter was involved in a 10-man ride.

Marcille is believed to be the first Blue Jays goalie to score since Stuart Jones did so in the third quarter of a 16-10 win against Washington College on March 18, 1986.

But North Carolina (2-0) outscored the Blue Jays 3-1 in the third quarter and then scored all five goals of the fourth to earn its third victory in a row in the all-time series and ninth in the past 11 meetings.

By class, Johns Hopkins started a group that included two graduate students, three seniors and five juniors. But three of those players — junior attackman Russell Melendez, junior midfielder Dylan Bauer and senior defenseman Jack Ruddy — got the first starts of their careers this season, illustrating some of the youth filtered throughout the roster.

In another sign of inexperience, the Blue Jays squandered three consecutive chances in the third quarter to give their defense a much-needed break and retain the ball on offense for extended periods. Sophomore midfielder Stu Phillips turned the ball over on back-to-back clear attempts and graduate student defenseman Alex Mazzone took an ill-advised shot that gave possession back to the Tar Heels.

They capitalized when senior midfielder P.J. Zisner scored off a pass from senior attackman Lance Tillman that trimmed Johns Hopkins’ lead to 6-5 with 6:45 left.

“I think the biggest takeaway is this is an opportunity for growth,” Milliman said. “We have to find a way to get a little bit tougher and make better decisions. While we are playing hard and competing, as I told the guys in the locker room, I think that’s a team [in North Carolina] that maturity plays a big factor, and I think for us, we’re still learning some of those things.”

Meanwhile, the Tar Heels feel a bit more stable after Tuesday. After a pair of lackluster performances in scrimmages against Jacksonville and VMI before improving against Loyola Maryland in another exhibition and defeating Mercer, 25-3, in Friday’s second opener, the team’s ability to overcome a three-goal deficit in the third quarter spoke volumes to coach Joe Breschi.

“Slow start, a little chaotic, first road game of the year, and the resiliency of this group was just fantastic against a tremendous Johns Hopkins team,” he said. “I think this was a time to kind of prove where we’re at. We’ve been getting better weekly, and it’s been fun

to watch this group come together.”

Unlike the Blue Jays, North Carolina started four graduate students who played considerably before or at their previous stops. That veteran savvy was perhaps most noticeable on a defense that shut out Johns Hopkins over the final 18:26 despite the team losing 7 of 11 faceoffs in the second half.

“We’re just coming together as a group,” said Krieg, the Tar Heels goalkeeper, who made 14 saves. “And it’s a different feel. We’ve got a lot of veterans down there. … I feel like we just have a lot of confidence as a group, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t. We’re a good defense, and we just believe we can go out there and play, and if we let it ride it, we’re going to do well.”

The Blue Jays won’t have much time to regroup as they visit No. 11 Loyola Maryland (1-0) on Saturday — one week after the Greyhounds upended then-No. 2 Maryland, 12-7. But Angelus, who finished with two assists, expressed confidence in the team’s character.

“There are going to be setbacks like this, but we’re just going to have to figure it out together,” he said. “We have to figure out what’s next.”