Blue Jays win Homecoming game

In front of a crowd teaming with Hopkins students and alumns alike, the Johns Hopkins Men's Lacrosse team defeated the University of Maryland Terrapins 9-8 in a come from behind victory in overtime.

A standing room only crowd of 8,642 turned up for the 98th meeting between Maryland and Johns Hopkins. The team was buoyed by Bobby Benson's four goals, but Kyle Barrie's goal in overtime gave the Blue Jays their eighth win of the season.

Players and coaches alike rejoiced over the Hopkins victory that took place in a closely-contested match-up that either team could have won.

"We were really excited about the game. Maryland is a good team. We were fortunate to win," said Doneger.

The Blue Jays got on the board first behind a goal by junior attackman Bobby Benson, who scored by virtue of a pass by sophomore midfielder Kevin Boland midway through the first period. Maryland responded, however, with a goal by Jamie Daue, who scored under two minutes after Benson's goal to tie the contest at 1-1.

Hopkins returned the favor though, as Bobby Benson scored his second goal of the day to put the Jays back on top 2-1.

But then the Terrapins pulled ahead in a major way, embarking on a 4-0 scoring run that put the Blue Jays on the defensive.

The Terps' scoring run showcased four goals, each by a different player, in a period that lasted just 5:14 but ended with Maryland carrying a 5-2 lead and controlling much of the game's momentum.

But the Maryland lead would soon be cut from three goals to just one.

The Jays began mounting their comeback with 6:54 remaining as sophomore Joe McDermott scored an unassisted goal to make the score 5-3.

Benson added his third goal of the day with just under 3:30 remaining to cut the Maryland advantage to 5-4 going into half-time.

Maryland got off to a fast start in the second half, as Nate Watkins scored his second goal of the day for the Terps less than a minute into the third quarter to extend their lead to 6-4.

Hopkins fought back though, as freshman midfielder Benson Erwin scored just his second goal of the season, after winning the following face-off to cut the Terp lead back to just one goal.

But once again, Maryland matched the Hopkins goal with one of its own as midfielder Mike Mollot gave the Terps a 7-5 advantage with 10:17 remaining in the third quarter.

Soon after that, however, the Blue Jays began their momentum-turning comeback in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

Benson got the comeback started as he scored his fourth goal of the day off an assist by sophomore attackman Conor Ford to move Hopkins to within one goal of being tied for the lead.

Minutes later, the Blue Jays went on to tie the score 7-7 with just 36 seconds remaining in the third period as Adam Doneger scored an extra-man goal off freshman attackman Kyle Barrie's assist.

Maryland appeared unfazed by the Hopkins rally, and the Terps collected themselves and recaptured the lead behind Mollot's third goal on the day.

But once again the Jays managed to capitalize on another extra-man chance as Boland tied the game at 8-8 with 3:59 remaining.

With the stage set for a climactic final four minutes of regulation that could have decided the contest, both teams squandered opportunities to win the game, and time expired with the score remaining tied 8-8.

But the Blue Jays were too powerful for the Terrapins in the overtime period, and with 1:45 remaining in the first overtime, Barrie scored his 12th goal of the year to give Hopkins the win by a score of 9-8.

The win spoke volumes about the character of a team that could come back from a 7-5 deficit late in the contest.

"We work as hard as we can. To win in overtime like we did shows a lot about our team," said Doneger.

On the other side, the loss proved devastating for the Terrapins, who suffered their third loss of the season.

Remarkably all three losses have come by just one goal each and two of the games have been decided in overtime.

After a Syracuse loss to Cornell, the Blue Jays moved up in the ranking to No. 2. Virginia stayed at No. 1 after a victory over Duke. Undefeated Georgetown jumped to No. 3, but are hindered by their lack of quality opponents.

This Saturday, the Blue Jays travel to Annapolis, Maryland to take on the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen.

Navy is currently ranked No. 14 with a record of 7-4. Last week Navy defeated Mount Saint Mary's 10-5.

The Blue Jays are well aware that their game this weekend will present a big challenge.

"We just have to concentrate and go week-by-week. Navy is a tough opponent," said Doneger.

As for the remainder of the season, Doneger says the Jays must maintain their focus and remember that every opponent is a serious one.

"Everybody in the Top 25 is capable of beating everybody. We have to focus on taking each opponent as serious as the next," said Doneger.