March 10, 2002
HEMPSTEAD, NY - Junior midfielder Adam Doneger scored three goals, including the game-tying goal with 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game-winning goal with 11 seconds remaining as second-ranked Johns Hopkins escaped from New York with a hard-fought, 9-8 win over 11th-ranked Hofstra. With the win Johns Hopkins improves to 2-0 for the first time since 1995, while Hofstra falls to 2-2 with the loss.
Doneger's first goal of the game just 4:47 into the fourth quarter had given the Blue Jays a 7-6 lead, but Hofstra struck twice in less than two minutes to take an 8-7 lead. Paul Rao's second goal of the game at the 8:44 mark tied the game at 7-7, while Paul Defendini's 12-yard bouncer eluded Hopkins' goalie Nick Murtha at the 10:37 mark to give the Pride their first lead since 1-0.
However, Doneger answered Defendini's goal at the 12:26 mark on a pass from sophomore Conor Ford to knot the game at 8-8. Hofstra had possession with less than a minute to play and worked the ball for what would be the final shot, only to have the Blue Jays create a turnover and call timeout with 23 seconds left on the clock. Hopkins worked the ball to Ford, who fed the ball to Doneger 10 yards in front of the goal and his blast eluded Hofstra goalie Jack Alaimo to provide the winning margin. Hopkins won the ensuing faceoff and ran out the clock.
The back-and-forth game featured three lead changes and seven ties before Doneger's late-game heroics. After falling behind 1-0, the Blue Jays took a 3-1 lead on goals by freshmen Peter LeSueur and Kyle Barrie and a tally by sophomore Joe McDermott in a span of just over three minutes midway through the second quarter.
Hofstra bounced back and tied the game with goals by Tom Kessler and Adam Hananel in a 52-second span late in the second quarter, but Hopkins' Bobby Benson sent the Blue Jays to the locker room at the half with a 4-3 lead with the first of his two goals just eight seconds before halftime.
The teams traded the first six goals of the second half with Doneger's first tally early in the fourth quarter setting the stage for the wild finish.
In addition to Doneger's three goals, Hopkins got two goals and one assist from Benson, one goal and a career-high three assists from Ford, and a goal and an assist from McDermott. Murtha made 10 saves in goal for the Blue Jays as well.
Hofstra got two goals from Rao, Kessler, and Kevin Dougherty, while Bryan Walker added a pair of assists. Alaimo made nine saves in goal for the Pride, who outshot Hopkins, 37-27 and held a 29-24 advantage in ground balls.
Hopkins will next in action next Saturday when the Blue Jays welcome top-ranked Syracuse to Homewood Field.
#2 Johns Hopkins (2-0) 0 4 1 4- 9
#11 Hofstra (2-2) 1 2 1 4- 8
Goals: J: Doneger-3, Benson-2, Ford, Barrie, LeSueur, McDermott. H: Kessler-2, Rao-2, Dougherty-2, Defendini, Hananel. Assists: J: Ford-3, Benson, McDermott. H: Walker-2, Mekeel. Saves: J: Murtha-10. H: Alaimo-9. Shots: J-27. H-37. EMO: J: 0-for-1. H: 0-for-3. Attendance: 4,531.
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