Two weeks ago, the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team successfully defended its No. 1 ranking against then-No. 2 Virginia. This past Friday, they did the same against now-No. 2 Duke, beating the Blue Devils 11-10 in double overtime under the lights of Homewood Field.
Hopkins lost the first overtime faceoff but "didn't panic because we have faith in our defense," according to senior midfielder Matt Rewkowski. "We knew we'd get the ball back and have more opportunities."
The Jays did indeed get their opportunities, and the freshman attackman Kevin Huntley eventually scored the game-winning goal with 1:05 remaining in the second overtime.
After a scoreless four minutes in the first overtime, senior defensive midfielder Benson Erwin got the ball off "a lucky check."
"I was fortunate to get the ball on my stick," Erwin said.
After Erwin's steal was cleared to senior midfielder Kyle Harrison, the stage was set for Huntley's heroics, as he beat Duke's senior goalie Aaron Fenton down low to seal the win.
"We take pride as a team in not having class distinctions," said Rewkowski. "The freshmen are treated like any other guys on our team. We have a lot of confidence in Kevin, the coaches gave him the green light and he took it."
The Blue Jays (8-0) are now the only remaining undefeated team in Division I. Hopkins also set a new record for consecutive home wins (32) Friday night, a mark that dates back to 2000. No current Blue Jay has ever lost on Homewood Field.
"Duke is a dangerous team, deserving of their ranking," said senior defensive midfielder Benson Erwin. "They have a good offense and strong defense and they are having a really good year this year."
The Blue Devils scored the first goal just 2:19 into the game, but the Blue Jays responded with a 5-1 run over a span of 10 minutes. Huntley and Harrison each scored unassisted goals less than two minutes apart to spark the run.
Harrison then assisted on a goal by senior attackman Peter LeSueur before freshman midfielder Zach Greer answered with a score of his own for Duke. LeSueur came back less than two minutes later with an unassisted goal before junior midfielder Greg Peyser closed the quarter off an assist from Harrison with the Jays ahead 5-2.
The teams entered halftime in a 6-6 tie following a 4-1 Duke run in the second quarter, as Huntley was the lone Blue Jay to score in the period. Hopkins was held scoreless in the third when Duke took a two-goal lead after a pair of goals by junior attackman Dan Flannery.
Hopkins trailed Duke (11-1) by a score of 8-6 in the third quarter but rallied in the fourth to tie the game at 10.
"When we were down Friday we tried to keep calm and relaxed," said Erwin. "We've been in a bunch of tight games. We know it was just one game and that we were playing a great team and win or lose we'd have to pick it up and take on Maryland this week."
Just over a minute into the final frame, freshman midfielder Paul Rabil drove to his left and beat Fenton to pull the Jays within one. But it was Rewkowski who gave the Jays their first lead since the second quarter, scoring his first goal of the season midway through the fourth quarter to knot the score at 8-8 and coming right back with another just 45 seconds later on an extra-man opportunity.
"We had a lot of extra motivation to win the game Friday because Duke is the number two team and was the only other undefeated team," said Rewkowski. "They had a lot of talented young guys last year who have gained experience. We were frustrated with our play, but we have been in worse situations before and it's a testament to our character that we made the best of it. It was awesome to be able to contribute in the win."
Junior midfielder Kyle Dowd, who transferred to Duke from Hopkins in the offseason, scored soon after to tie the game again. Duke's sophomore attackman Matt Danowski, who led the Blue Devils with three goals, and Harrison each scored in the final few minutes to force overtime between the top two teams in the nation.
"Its tough to be the number one, undefeated team because we're everyone's ticket," said Erwin. "We get everyone's best game."
The win, which sets the Hopkins record for straight home wins, is just five short of the Division I record of 37, which belongs to Syracuse (1982-1987). This win over Duke marks the ninth time in the streak that Hopkins has beaten a team ranked in the top five.
Hopkins takes on No. 8-ranked, instate rival University of Maryland at College Park this Friday night.
"Last year we had big win against Maryland in the 100th Anniversary game," said Erwin. "We've been preparing all week for Maryland. They're a great team with a strong face off man and goalie and two of the best scorers in the nation."
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