Box Score Nov. 9, 2005
Box Score
BALTIMORE, MD - Senior Adam Simon beat a group of defenders and scored unassisted in the 102nd minute to help Johns Hopkins defeat Penn State-Altoona 2-1 in the first round of the ECAC South Championship on Wednesday. The Blue Jays now host the tournament semifinals and finals this Saturday and Sunday at Homewood Field. Hopkins meets the winner of tonight's Dickinson vs. Swarthmore match, as three of the four teams in the semifinals are from the Centennial Conference.
The game was scoreless for over 60 minutes after a slack first half and start to the second period. At the half, Johns Hopkins had a slight 5-4 edge on shots, while Penn State-Atloona led 4-1 on corner kicks.
Penn State-Altoona changed the tone with a goal in the 64th minute and Johns Hopkins quickly responded. On a corner kick, Lion sophomore Erik Yavuz set up classmate JC Campbell, who fired a shot past Blue Jay junior Dan Coble for the game's first goal at 63:18. Penn State Altoona led 1-0 on the scoreboard but Johns Hopkins was in control of the game, leading 8-2 on shots and 6-1 on corners in the second half.
The Blue Jays finally converted when sophomore Nate Ford launched a pass from the 30-yard line to freshman Nicholas Gauna, who scored his team-high ninth goal of the year on a header to tie the game at one. Senior Jeff Grosser had a chance to score in the final minutes, but his shot hit the cross bar and Johns Hopkins entered overtime for the eighth time this year.
After a first overtime period that saw just one shot, Simon won the game for Hopkins with his third shot on goal of the game. At 101:19, he beat a group of defenders in front of goal and sent his shot past Lion senior Tim Wassell for the 2-1 Blue Jay win.
Hopkins finished with a 17-7 lead on shots and 9-5 advantage on corners. Wassell made nine saves for the Lions, while Coble needed just one in the win.
The Blue Jays host the winner of Dickinson vs. Swarthmore in Saturday's second semifinal at 2 pm, following the Grove City vs. McDaniel matchup at 11 am. Grove City defeated Lake Erie 2-1 and McDaniel shut out Penn State-Behrend 2-0 in the first-round games today. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 pm at Homewood Field.
