A recap of Johns Hopkins' 10-9 win over Duke yesterday:
Turning point
Five seconds after senior defenseman Nick O'Hara scored to lift the Blue Devils to an 8-8 tie with 7:07 left in the fourth quarter, O'Hara was flagged for cross-checking. With O'Hara serving a one-minute penalty, Blue Jays sophomore midfielder Michael Kimmel (Loyola) found a cutting Steven Boyle for a goal with 6:39 left to give Johns Hopkins a lead it would not relinquish.
Gvozden's a gamer
Reviving memories of two-time Most Outstanding Player Jesse Schwartzman, sophomore goalkeeper Michael Gvozden (Severna Park) anchored a defense that limited Duke to its second-lowest output of the season. Gvozden, who made 17 saves, turned away several point-blank chances for the Blue Devils and never seemed to lose confidence.
Athleticism on display
Boyle and senior attackman Kevin Huntley (Calvert Hall) turned in two of the most eye-opening goals of the day just 14 seconds apart in the second quarter. Despite being draped by a Duke defenseman, Boyle curled around the left post and swept a shot with only his right hand past senior goalie Dan Loftus while falling to the turf. Not to be outdone, Huntley took a pass from Boyle and flipped a shot behind his head that found the upper right corner of the net.
Coming attraction
The Blue Jays get another chance to avenge a regular-season loss when they take on No. 3 seed Syracuse (15-2) for the national championship at 1 p.m. tomorrow. The Orange scored the last four goals - including the game-winner from senior midfielder Steven Brooks in overtime - to beat Johns Hopkins, 14-13, at Homewood Field.
They said it
"They can score goals in so many ways, and I thought that our team showed poise when Duke started to go on their runs. One of the keys is we had to force them to beat us in a 60-minute game because they've been so good at ending games early. ... I think it was huge for us to play with a lead and not have to play from behind." - Blue Jays coach Dave Pietramala on his team's ability to stay ahead of the Blue Devils, who led only once at 2-1 at the beginning of the second quarter.
