A lot was on the line Saturday afternoon for the Blue Jays when they fell to Maryland in triple overtime, 8-7, in front of an overflow crowd of 10,388 at Homewood Field. This game, nicknamed “The Rivalry,” has been played 116 times since 1895, with the winner receiving the famous wooden crab.
The Blue Jays rallied back from a 3-2 deficit at halftime and jumped to a 7-5 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the now No. 2 Maryland Terrapins scored twice in the final 3:30 of regulation to force overtime.
They eventually went on to edge the Blue Jays in the third overtime. Hopkins now slips to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten.
“They made one more play than us, and that is the difference in that game,” head coach Dave Pietramala said.
Freshman midfielder Connor DeSimone started the scoring off for the Blue Jays in the third quarter, scoring on a right-handed strike, in an effort to redeem his late second-quarter goal that was waived off due to a crease violation.
Junior midfielder Alex Concannon and senior midfielder Joel Tinney both added a pair of goals for the Blue Jays. Concannon shook his defender and ran past him to score a low shot on Maryland goalie Dan Morris.
Although Concannon beat him twice that day, Morris seemed to be the difference in the game on Saturday afternoon. Morris finished the game with thirteen saves and most importantly stopped a shot by Tinney that would have extended the Blue Jay lead to 8-5.
“We are disappointed, but our goals are still right in front of us,” Coach Pietramala said about the loss on Saturday afternoon.
Senior attacker Shack Stanwick, despite being out last week due to an undisclosed injury, added one goal and one assist.
Junior attacker Kyle Marr also added one goal and one assist for the Blue Jays. His two points push him over the 100-point mark for his career.
On the defensive end, Hopkins held the Terrapins, who average over 10 goals per game, to only eight goals in the equivalent of five quarters. This was due to a great team defense by starting defenders junior Rob Kuhn, junior Patrick Foley, sophomore Owen Colwell and sophomore Jack Rapine.
Senior goalie Brock Turnbaugh also showed a solid effort in cage for the Blue Jays. He finished the game with eight saves. Turnbaugh reflected on his performance on Senior Day.
“Credit the defense for allowing me to see the shots that I want to see... and as for the kick saves, I was in the right place at the right time. It is better to be lucky than good,” Turnbaugh said.
Senior face-off specialist Hunter Moreland showed a solid effort as well. He finished the game 11-21, winning 52 percent of face-offs in the game.
Hopkins has now lost four consecutive games to Maryland, after beating the Terrapins for three consecutive years between 2013 to 2015.
This is the first time that Maryland has won four straight games against Hopkins since a stretch from 1961 to 1964. The Blue Jays still lead the all-time series by a convincing margin, 71-44-1.
Despite the disappointing loss, Hopkins did receive some positive news this week, as four players were named to All-Big Ten teams.
Tinney was named to the first team, while Foley, Stanwick and sophomore attacker Cole Williams were named to the second team. Additionally, senior midfielder Brinton Valis received the Sportsmanship Award.
After Saturday’s loss, Hopkins earned the number two seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Jays face the Ohio State University Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament tonight at the University of Michigan at 7:30 p.m.
If they win, Hopkins will face the winner of the Maryland versus Rutgers University game in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday, May 5 at noon.
