April 30, 2005

Box Score

TOWSON, MD -- Sophomore goalie Jesse Schwartzman registered a career-high 21 saves and the top-ranked Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team scored seven of the final eight goals of the game as the Blue Jays knocked off host Towson, 8-4 at Unitas Stadium Saturday afternoon. Hopkins improves to 11-0 with its 22nd straight win in the month of April. The Tigers had their five-game winning streak snapped and fall to 9-4.

The Tigers led 3-2 at the half and still held that one-goal lead with less than a minute to play in the third quarter when freshman Paul Rabil ignited what would be a 5-1 game-ending run over the final 16 minutes. Rabil spun past one defender to the right of Towson goalie Reed Sothoron and blistered a shot into the top far corner to tie the game at 3-3.

Senior Matt Rewkowski added an extra-man goal off an assist from Rabil just 43 seconds into the fourth quarter, only to have the Tigers force the third and final tie of the game just over a minute later. After the Blue Jays came up with a loose ball in front of their own goal, Towson's Steve Mull intercepted a clearing pass and fired into an open net to tie the game at 4-4. From there it was all Hopkins.

Senior Peter LeSueur scored his second goal of the game with 10:53 remaining as freshman Kevin Huntley found him alone to Sothoron's left and LeSueur faked high before beating him low. Senior Benson Erwin's first goal of the season 81 seconds later gave the Blue Jays their first two-goal lead of the game. Schwartzman saved a shot by Towson's Jonathan Engelke and the Blue Jays successfully cleared. Erwin lulled the Towson defense to sleep and cut to the middle of the field where be picked the far post to make it 6-4.

Sophomore Jake Byrne and senior Kyle Harrison both scored in the final eight minutes to account for the final scoring. Byrne made a quick move past a defender and bounced a shot past Sothoron with 7:40 remaining, while Harrison beat a double-team behind the goal and closed out the scoring with his 18th goal of the season with 1:14 left.

LeSueur opened the scoring three minutes into the game as he beat Sothoron with a low shot off an assist from Byrne. However, the Tigers deliberate offense slowed the game and they took advantage of long possessions to pull out to a 3-1 lead.

Mull fed a cutting Kyle Fiat with 2:53 remaining in the first quarter and Fiat beat Schwartzman to tie the game at 1-1. Kyle Batton polished off nearly the identical play wqith 6:53 remaining in the second quarter, also off an assist from Mull, to give the Tigers their first lead of the game at 2-1.

A Brian Vetter bouncer from 12 yards beat Schwartzman just over two minutes later to push the Tiger lead to 3-1, but Rabil beat his defender and quick-sticked a shot past Sothoron low to the far corner while coming in from the side to account for the 3-2 score at the half.

Both goalies played exceptional games, making all the necessary saves and several on shots that would normally go. Schwartzman, whose previous career high of 20 saves came in a 9-7 win over Virginia earlier this season, counted 12 of his 21 saves in the second half, while only Mull's empty-netter found the back of the net after intermission.

Sothoron made six saves in the first half and then five big saves in the third quarter. He added four more in the fourth, but the Blue Jays got better looks once they took the lead and capitalized on their opportunities.

Rabil led the Blue Jays with the two goals and one assist, while LeSueur chipped in with the two goals and Byrne added a goal and an assist.

Mull had a hand in all four Tiger goals with the one goal and three assists. No other Tiger had more than one point. Towson held a 26-25 advantage in ground balls, while the Blue Jays outshot the Tigers (33-31) and won 8-of-14 faceoffs.

The win improved the Blue Jays' record to 50-6 since the beginning of the 2002 season. The seniors on this year's team are the first class at Hopkins to win 50 or more games since the 1985 team won 50 (50-6). Only six other classes in Hopkins history have ended their careers with 50 or more wins (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985).

Johns Hopkins will look to close out its first undefeated regular season since 1995 when the Blue Jays host Loyola next Saturday. Towson will host Villanova in the CAA Semifinals on Wednesday night.