Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - In a game featuring 10 ties and five lead changes, second-seeded Rutgers (11-4) outscored host and third-seeded Johns Hopkins (8-6) 3-1 over the final 16 minutes as the Scarlet Knights topped the Blue Jays, 14-12, in the Big Ten Men's Lacrosse semifinals at Homewood Field Thursday night. Rutgers advances to Saturday's championship game, where the 'Knights will take on top-seeded Maryland, which beat Penn State, 16-9, in the other semifinal.

Rutgers had an 11-9 lead and seemingly all the momentum late in the third quarter as the 'Knights used a three-goal run to turn a 9-8 deficit into the two goal lead. Three different players scored during the spree for Rutgers, with a Christian Trasolini goal with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter capping the spree.

It didn't take the Blue Jays long - 47 seconds to be exact - to knot the game at 11. Just 35 seconds after Trasolini's goal, Hopkins answered with a Shack Stanwick goal off an assist from John Crawley and sophomore Hunter Moreland won the ensuing faceoff and raced in and fired home his first career goal just 12 seconds after Stanwick's tally to pull the Blue Jays even.

For the second time in the game, Rutgers got a goal in the final 35 seconds of a period, this time it was Casey Rose capping his hat trick as he scored with just eight seconds left in the third quarter.

Hopkins forced the 10th and final tie of the game just 33 seconds into the final period as senior Ryan Brown scored his fifth goal of the game when he got his hands free on the wing and blew one home to make it 12-12.

Rutgers would seal the game with two transition goals in span of 2:29 midway through the period as Adam Charalambides matched Brown with his fifth goal of the night at the 8:48 mark as the 'Knights turned a blocked shot at the other end into their 13th goal of the game.

The insurance goal came with 6:19 on the clock as Zackary Franckowiak cashed in after a Johns Hopkins turnover near midfield led to an odd-man rush into the Blue Jay zone.

Hopkins had several chances to pull within one in the final minutes, but the Rutgers defense held and senior goalie Kris Alleyne sealed the victory with a one-on-one save with 90-seconds left to kill Hopkins' final scoring chance.

The 10 combined goals in the second half were one less than the teams combined for in a wild first quarter as Hopkins built a 6-5 lead after the opening 15 minutes. Brown scored four of his five goals in the opening 13:08, while Charalambides notched a pair to lead Rutgers in the opening period.

The pace slowed in the second quarter and the teams went to the half tied at 8-8. Charalambides scored Rutgers' final two goals of the period, including one just 35 seconds before halftime.

Johns Hopkins grabbed what would be its final lead of the game just over four minutes into the second half when Stanwick worked topside on a dodge from behind and stuck one inside the top far corner. That lead held for nearly five minutes before a Ryan Hollingsworth extra-man goal ignited the three-goal run that gave Rutgers the 11-9 lead.

Despite pulling even twice (11-11, 12-12) and outshooting Rutgers 27-12 in the second half, the Blue Jays couldn't solve Alleyne down the stretch like they had in the first half as he posted eight of his 14 saves in the game after halftime.

Charalambides led Rutgers with his five-goal effort, while Rose (3g) and Franckowiak (2) were the 'Knights' other multi-goal scorers. Bieda finished with one goal and three assists and Alleyne added the 14 saves.

Brown paced Hopkins with his five-goal, two-assist effort, while Stanwick added two goals and two assists. Moreland was nearly perfect at the X as he finished 12-of-13 with five ground balls and the one goal.

Johns Hopkins must now wait until Sunday's NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse selection show to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The show will air live on ESPNU at 9 pm.

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