Neither the spring snowfall nor unseasonably cold weather could stop large numbers of alumni, students, parents and lacrosse fans from packing The Nest for this year’s edition of the Hopkins Homecoming game.
The Blue Jays, looking to recover from a Conference loss versus Rutgers University, faced the Ohio State University Buckeyes powerhouse on April 2.
The Buckeyes’ faceoff specialist, junior Jake Withers, started off hot from the faceoff circle, winning all tries in the first quarter and 12 of 15 in the first half, inducing four first half faceoff violations for the Jays, giving Ohio State a plethora of early possessions.
The game started off as a back and forth affair, with the Jays and the Buckeyes both showing the offensive spark necessary to keep up with the other.
Senior Hopkins attackman Ryan Brown highlighted the Jay attack, scoring three goals in the game, his seventh multi-goal game of the season.
Buckeye junior midfielder Johnny Pearson, however, was the game’s leading scorer, netting four goals, each one following a goal from Hopkins.
The Jays looked to be in control of the game midway through the third quarter, holding the largest lead of the game with a 10-6 score, but the Buckeyes rallied and scored three unanswered goals, to keep it close for the duration of the game.
The Buckeyes had a chance to tie with under a minute remaining, but the Jays defense held strong and forced an errant shot and a turnover to seal the 13-12 victory.
Hopkins sophomore goalie Brock Turnbaugh had a breakout game, accumulating 13 saves and his first Conference win. He attributes his play in the cage to increasing experience.
“My first start at the beginning of the year was pretty crazy,” Turnbaugh said. “As the year has gone on, I’ve been learning and getting better. It’s not just my confidence going up, but I’ve gotten more comfortable with the game and playing.”
Although the Jays surrendered 12 goals to the Buckeyes, Turnbaugh has seen progress in the defense’s play as a unit.
“The defense has grown throughout the year, showing great improvement,” Turnbaugh said. “We’ve been playing well with each other and have become a lot more comfortable with each other.”
Turnbaugh weighed in on the final defensive stop to seal the victory, which had the Homewood faithful on the edge of their seats.
“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t any nerves,” Turnbaugh said. “We have had our fair share of games that were tied with 30 seconds left, but this time we went out and did what we had to do, and everyone played how they know how to play.”
The Jays go on the road for their next two games, facing Penn State University and Michigan State Univeristy, before coming home to face the University of Maryland Terrapins in the final game of the regular season. The Jays have not fared well on the road so far this year, with a losing record on the road compared to a 4-1 home record.
“The loss at Rutgers was a tough one, especially without Coach [Pietramala],” Turnbaugh said.
Pietramala missed the previous four games due to a health issue, but his presence was felt in his return to the field this past Saturday.
Turnbaugh acknowledged the extra boost that he provided, which gave the Jays some extra confidence to perform on the field.
Turnbaugh is hopeful for the rest of the season, citing the Jays’ confidence.
“As a team, we’ve hit that turning point where we’re playing well, have confidence in each other and know [that] each other can play well,” the goalie said. “These last few games are going to be a tough, good challenge for us, and I know we can do well.”
The Jays face the Penn State University Nittany Lions this Saturday under the lights. Faceoff is at 7 p.m. at State College, Pa.
