Hopkins upsets North Carolina Tar Heels, 12-2

After experiencing its share of ups and downs this spring,
the Johns Hopkins Women's Lacrosse team opened some eyes this week. The
Lady Jays won three games, most notably a huge upset over No. 14 ranked
University of North Carolina. In the beautiful and sunny spring weather
on Sunday April 27, the No. 19 Blue Jays definitively creamed the UNC,
12-2.

This represented a reversal of roles for the teams, as the Tar Heels had
just as soundly beaten the Jays in each of the past several years when
these two squads had faced each other, making the victory for Hopkins
that much sweeter.

"In all of my four years here, we haven't had a big win like this when
we upset the higher seed, not to mention a veteran powerhouse like UNC
who we lose to every year we play them," said senior captain and goalie
Jen McDonald (five saves). "They may not be in the top five as they
have been in the past, but they are still ranked above us, and we still
beat them by ten goals -- that is no fluke."

Early on, it seemed as if the Heels were assuming the normal role of
dominator as Nicki Barnes scored on a free position shot just 40
seconds into the game. But junior midfielder Heidi Pearce (four goals,
two assists) immediately answered, scoring an unassisted goal to begin
what would be a prolific scoring day for her.

Pearce's tally was quickly followed by two more Lady Jays' goals: one
from freshman attacker Meagan Voight, assisted by freshman midfielder
Kelley Putnam, and the other from senior attacker Liz Holland (three
goals), who converted a feed from junior midfielder Kate Barcomb.

This gave the Lady Jays a 3-1 advantage, but UNC climbed back within one
when Brooke Young scored with about 10 minutes left in the half. The
goal would prove to be the Tar Heels' last, as the Jays went on to
score nine more unanswered goals in the rout.

Senior attacker Meghan Burnett (two goals, one assist) made the score
4-2 when she made an impressive behind the back shot off a feed from
Pearce.

Barcomb scored with five minutes left to play in the half off a feed
from freshman attacker Sarah Walsh, extending the lead to 5-2 going
into the second half.

Pearce commenced a Hopkins scoring spree in the second half in the first
minute of play with another goal, then subsequently feeding Holland --
her second of the game -- making the score 7-2. Senior midfielder Erinn
Dennis then scored an unassisted left-handed shot, followed by yet
another Pearce goal.

Continuing the rally, Burnett made a stellar play by stealing the ball
from the Carolina goalie while she was trying to clear it and then
faking her out to score an unassisted goal, making the score 10-2.
Pearce scored her fourth and final goal of the game to make it 11-2,
followed by a beautiful passing sequence that resulted in a Holland
goal from a Burnett pass, setting the final score at 12-2 with 12
minutes left in regulation.

The second half proved to be a shut-out for senior goalie Jen McDonald,
who had to make just five saves thanks to the dominating performance of
the Jays' defense. Juniors Rachel Krom and Kate Gilland and sophomores
Lacey Hentz and Kristen Miller combined efforts to repeatedly rip the
ball from UNC and send it back downfield to their offense.

"Not only was this game the first time we played as a team for the
entire 60 minutes," said Burnett, "but it was the first time our attack
played with absolute confidence and we all clicked together."

This game was also of a certain significance to the Hopkins seniors, for
it was to be their last appearance on Homewood Field. The importance of
this game was evident in their level of play.

"We all wanted each senior to have a great game, but they went above and
beyond having a great game, each of them making their mark in one of
our most exciting wins ever," said sophomore midfielder Anne Crisafulli.

Seniors Holland, Burnett and Dennis each had at least one goal, while
McDonald took care of business on the defensive end, allowing just two
goals.

Holland commented, "This was an incredible game to have as our last time
on Homewood field. All of us seniors could not have asked for a better
win."

The unexpected win over UNC came on the heels of two victories from
earlier in the week, the first of which came against unranked George
Washington on Friday and the other against unranked American on
Wednesday.

The Lady Jays won those games by scores of 15-4 and 15-10, respectively.

Atop the stats chart for the two games were Dennis, who registered four
goals and one assist in the GW game, and Burnett, who followed suit
with similar four goals and one assist of her own in the American game.

The Lady Jays have two more away games this week. Wednesday they travel
a few miles to take on Towson University at 3 p.m., and Saturday they
make their way to Virginia to face George Mason University at 1 p.m.