Crosstown champs: Jays top Maryland Terps

Coming off of three consecutive losses, two of which were at home, the Hopkins men's lacrosse team was looking for a big win to get back on the right track. On Saturday, the team had a golden opportunity to do so, when they squared off against their in-state and historical rival University of Maryland Terrapins. It was anything but easy, but the ninth-ranked Blue Jays managed to pull off a minor upset in only their third game away from Baltimore this season, defeating the seventh-ranked Terps 8-7. The win lifted the Jays above .500, to a record of 5-4.

The first quarter was, depending on one's perspective, either a defensive showdown or an example of poor offensive play. The two teams combined for a mere eleven shots and netted only two goals total for a 1-1 score at the end of the quarter. The Blue Jays' lone goal came with only nine seconds remaining, when junior attack Kevin Huntley tallied his seventh of the season.

Part of the reason for both team's lackluster scoring in the first quarter was a wet field that made plays harder to complete. Although it took some getting used to, the two teams eventually were able to adjust to the less-than-ideal playing conditions and played through the rain.

"The rain really affects the way your stick throws, so sometimes games like [Saturday's game] are a little sloppy early, which was definitely the case against Maryland," senior attack and team captain Jake Byrne said. "Once we got used to it, though, it was not really a factor."

After Huntley's goal, the Blue Jays appeared to have turned the corner against Maryland, which had two recent big wins against North Carolina -- to whom Hopkins had lost a few weeks earlier -- and Navy, whom Hopkins plays this Saturday at home. Sophomore midfielder Austin Walker, who before last week's game against Duke had yet to score a goal in his career, put home two consecutive goals in a five-minute span in the second quarter. Soon after, Byrne followed up with a goal of his own, his 14th, putting Hopkins up 4-2 at halftime.

Walker's emergence as a scoring threat was welcomed with wide-open arms by the team, which has been looking for an offensive spark in recent weeks.

"The way Austin came out in the second quarter was a real big boost for our team," senior midfielder and team captain Brendan Skakandi said. "He stepped up and really gave us a huge lift."

Still, Hopkins was up by only a pair of goals entering the third quarter, and Maryland came back quickly. After three straight goals by the Terps, Hopkins trailed 5-4, with the ball seeming to bounce Maryland's way on every possession.

Nevertheless, Huntley, who had one of his best games as a Blue Jay, put a stop to Maryland's scoring barrage with his second goal of the season with six minutes left in the quarter. Soon after, sophomore midfielder Brian Christopher added a goal of his own, giving the lead right back to Hopkins, 6-5.

Whether at College Park or at Homewood, Maryland almost always has given Hopkins a rough time, and Saturday was no different. After Huntley scored his third of the game early in the fourth quarter to give Hopkins a two-goal lead, the Terps rebounded minutes later with a pair of goals that tied the game, 7-7, sending it into overtime.

"Maryland is a quality team, and we knew we were not going to shut them down for 60 minutes," senior goalie Jesse Schwartzman said.

Already having lost the game's momentum, the Blue Jays almost lost the game as well, less than 30 seconds into overtime. Schwartzman's pass to junior midfielder Matt Blocket was intercepted by Maryland's senior midfielder Ryan Clarke. After dishing the ball off to fellow senior midfielder Thomas Alford and getting it back soon after, Clarke fired on goal but missed, once again giving the Blue Jays new life.

Revitalized, Hopkins did not err again. Only seconds later, junior midfielder Paul Rabil shot the ball past the reach of Maryland goalie Brian Phipps. It was his eighth of the season and his second overtime game-winner of the year. Given Maryland's opportunity to end the game and possibly the Blue Jays' championship contender status, Rabil's goal may have been the team's biggest of the season.

"The beginning of overtime seemed like a bad dream, but we got a bit lucky when Maryland mishandled the pass," Skakandi said. "It was an unbelievable shot by Paul to end it, and it was a major boost for the team [too.]"

"This win was huge," Byrne said. "After three straight losses, this was a game that we needed to win, and fortunately we came out on top."

Those three losses marked the first time since 1990 that Hopkins had lost three games in a row and was, to say the least, cause for alarm among the team. However, The Blue Jays responded well on Saturday, overcoming both the weather and a tough Maryland team.

The Blue Jays will try to build on the win against Maryland as they face off at home against Navy in the annual Homecoming game this Saturday. Although Navy is consistently highly ranked, the Midshipmen have lost 32 consecutive games to the Blue Jays, dating back to 1974, and Hopkins hopes to continue that streak, expecting one of the biggest crowds of the season. The game starts at 3 p.m. at Homewood Field.