It happened so fast that Johns Hopkins freshman midfielder Brian Christopher did not grasp the details surrounding his move, which lifted the visiting Blue Jays and crushed desperate Loyola.
Midway through overtime at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field, Christopher slid into the crease area, then watched sophomore midfielder Paul Rabil roll off a screen, cut to the goal, and prepare to shoot. Suddenly, Loyola defenseman David Moore checked Rabil's stick from behind, and the ball hung in the air.
With 2:38 left, Christopher snatched the ball at thigh level, turned, and from point-blank range, fired a high shot past Loyola senior goalie Michael Fretwell to give the No. 7 Blue Jays a 7-6 victory, before 4,812, the largest lacrosse crowd at Loyola this season.
Hopkins (8-4) finished its regular season with its first three-game winning streak. Each of the wins has been by one goal. Besides securing a home game in the NCAA tournament's first round next week - the Blue Jays could receive a No. 5 or 6 seed tonight, when the 16-team field will be announced - Hopkins probably knocked Loyola (6-6) out of contention for the tournament.
The Greyhounds, whose best win came against fifth-ranked Georgetown on April 15, likely would have clinched their first tournament berth in five years by beating Hopkins for only the fourth time in 44 tries.
And Loyola's fate may have been sealed because Christopher found himself in the right spot to score a goal in his ninth consecutive game.
"I thought [Rabil] was just going to the goal. Whatever happened, the ball bounced right to me," said Christopher, who is tied for fourth with 11 goals. "It was just reflex. ... I just picked it up and shot it."
"We've won a lot of one-goal games here. I'd like to think that's more than luck," said Blue Jays coach Dave Pietramala, who is 24-4 in one-goal decisions and 10-2 in overtime at Hopkins. "The bottom line is it bounced [Christopher's] way, but he still has to throw it in the back of the goal."
The game featured four lead changes, spurts of scoring, and fine play by both goalies. Blue Jays junior Jesse Schwartzman had 14 saves, and Fretwell had nine. Hopkins had to overcome its own problems, including 17 turnovers and four blown clears, and had to counter a slowed-down offensive tempo Loyola employed to near perfection.
