This past weekend, the Jays travelled to Chapel Hill to take on the defending NCAA champions, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, in an early season matchup between two top-five teams. The Jays came into the contest fresh off a thrilling overtime victory against their Charles Street rivals, the Loyola Greyhounds, looking to move to 4-0 on the season.
In what has become a theme for the early part of this season, the Blue Jays were led by a balanced scoring attack and a stifling defensive effort. Eight different Jays scored on the day, and a total of 11 players totaled contributions on the stat sheet. Hopkins got out of the gate strong, scoring the first two goals of the contest in the opening five minutes. Both strikes came from short range off the stick of senior attack Wilkins Dismuke, who has been an offensive force this season.
Hopkins would answer each successive Tar Heel goal with a pair of their own to eventually stretch their lead to 8-3 entering the fourth quarter. A goal from North Carolina’s midfielder Stephen Kelly early on in the final period would cut the deficit to four, but this time the Jays would answer the Tar Heels with a 5-0 run that officially put the game out of reach. The Jays’ scoring streak was highlighted by goals from junior midfielders Patrick Fraser and Joel Tinney and a pair of goals from senior midfielder John Crawley.
The Jays defense was equally as dominant, as seniors Nick Fields and Trevor Koelsch and freshman Jack Rapine paced a unit that allowed only three goals on 24 shots from the Tar Heels top attack and midfield lines. Graduate student and goalkeeper Gerald Logan stopped 16 shots that day, a season high for the University of Michigan transfer.
Logan and his defenseman held the Tar Heels scoreless for a total of 24 minutes between the first and third quarters, a truly impressive feat which serves as a testament to the tenacity of the Hopkins defense.
The Jays ended the competition with 13 goals and 39 shots compared to the Tar Heels’ five goals on 39 shots. It was a dominant victory that moved the Blue Jays to 4-0 on the season and up to third in the newest NCAA national rankings.
Dismuke’s two goals set the Jays’ offensive tone early on. He credited their offensive success to a balanced attack.
“I think our balanced scoring attack has a lot to do with the type of offense that we run. It gets everyone on the field involved in nearly every play, which allows for a lot of different players to be in good spots for scoring opportunities,” Dismuke said. “Another reason our scoring attack is so balanced is because of the fact that we have so many guys contributing on game day. We have quite a bit of depth this year, which is really helping everyone stay fresh and ready for when they step on the field.”
When asked to comment on the Jays’ attacks on the net at will, Dismuke attributed it to the team’s offensive strategy.
“As for our ability to attack the goal, I think that comes down to a mix of athleticism and the mindset to get to the goal on every dodge,” Dismuke said.
The third-ranked Jays hit the field next on March 3, when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Princeton Tigers.
