April 14, 2007

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The #16 Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse team defeated #5 Virginia 12-9 at Homewood Field Saturday afternoon. It was the Blue Jays first win over a top-5 team since an 8-7 win over #3 Princeton on March 4, 2006. Hopkins improves to 8-5 on the season while handing Virginia just its third loss of the season at 11-3.

Virginia struck first when Megan Havrilla scored just 50 seconds in. Hopkins came right back with a goal from junior middie Kadie Stamper (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) after the Blue Jays won the draw. Virginia took a 2-1 lead at 3:00 with a free position goal from Brittany Kalkstein. The Blue Jays tied the game again at 7:22 when senior Alex Nolan (Baltimore, MD/Roland Park) found the twine. From the top of the arc, fifth-year senior Sarah Walsh (Port Washington, NY/P.D. Schreiber)fed Nolan who was wide open in front of the Cavaliers' cage. Nolan fired a shot just inside the left post for her ninth of the season.

Just over two minutes later, Walsh gave Hopkins its first lead of the game. From behind the left corner of the cage, senior Mary Key (Stevensville, MD/St. Mary's) fed Walsh, who fired a quick shot past Kendall McBrearty. Stamper then pushed the Jays' lead out to two when she curled around the right side of the cage and snuck a shot inside the far post. A Virginia goal from Jess Wasilewski at 18:28 made it a one-goal game.

That lasted just 12 seconds as junior Lauren Schwarzmann (Sykesville, MD/Century) won the ensuing draw and raced to the cage, beating McBrearty for her first of the day. That was the first of a four-goal run for the Blue Jays as they pushed out to an 8-3 lead. Walsh notched her second of the day with 8:35 to play. Just 15 seconds later, freshman goalie Lizzie O'Ferrall (Baltimore, MD/Mount De Sales) made a save on Ashley McCulloch's free position shot. The Jays came back with a goal from Schwarzmann with 5:23 to play. Key fed Schwarzmann from behind the cage and she fired a hard shot from eight meters out for her 19th of the season.

Key made it a four-goal game, completing the run with just 13 seconds remaining in the game. Schwarzmann fired a shot with time winding down in the half but it hit the post. The ball ricocheted right out to Key, who scored on a shot just inside the far post. Virginia won the ensuing draw and Kalkstein was awarded a free-position shot with just one second on the clock. She converted and the teams headed into the break with the score at 8-4.

Virginia came out firing in the second, scoring twice in the first five minutes to make it an 8-6 game. Once again, the Blue Jays came back with a four-goal run. Junior Kirby Houck (Baltimore, MD/Garrison Forest) got things going with 18:51 to play. McBrearty left the cage to challenge after a Hopkins shot went wide but Hopkins was awarded the ball. On the restart, with McBrearty behind the cage, Key found a wide-open Houck for her 13th of the season. That assist was Key's 41st of the season, tying her own school single-season record.

Houck found the twine for the second time just over four minutes later on a free position shot and the Blue Jays were leading 10-6. Key pushed it out to a five-goal lead when she scored for the 51st time of the season. Twenty-three seconds later, Stamper completed the run with her third of the day. After winning the draw, Stamper fired a shot from the left side that McBrearty appeared to stop. The ball hit her chest and then bounced off the ground and over her head into the Cavaliers' cage.

Virginia finally ended the Hopkins run when Wasilewski scored on a free position goal with 4:07 to play. That started a three-goal run as the Cavaliers tried to rally from a six-goal deficit. After cutting it 12-9 with 2:10 to play, Virginia was shut down by the Hopkins defense.

Key led the Blue Jays with a game-high five points. Stamper, Schwarzmann, Schwarzmann, Walsh and Houck all had multi-goal games for Hopkins. O'Ferrall tied her career-high with nine saves for her fourth win of the season. Kalkstein and Wasilewski led Virginia with three goals apiece as the Cavaliers were held to under 10 goals for just the third time this season.

Hopkins returns to action on Friday, April 20 when the #1 Northwestern Wildcats visit Homewood Field. The American Lacrosse Conference game is set to begin at 6:00 pm and will be televised by CSTV.