NCAA Final Four Page (Live Stats & Video)

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Preview with Coach Wells • Preview with Grace Hillman

Quick Hits
• Johns Hopkins stunned top-ranked and previously unbeaten Messiah, 3-2, in double overtime on Sunday in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
• The win is Hopkins' first-ever against Messiah and first-ever against the number one team in the country.

NCAA Tournament History
• The Blue Jays entered the 2018 NCAA Tournament with just two wins in its previous eight NCAA appearances. Hopkins doubled that total en route to championship weekend.
• Hopkins is now 4-8 in nine NCAA Tournament appearances and is making its first-ever appearance in the national semifinals. In fact, Sunday's game at Messiah was just the second NCAA quarterfinals appearance for JHU.

Johns Hopkins in the Final Four
• The Blue Jay field hockey team is the seventh Johns Hopkins team to make the NCAA Final Four. Both men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, women's tennis and baseball have all made the NCAA Final Four.

Johns Hopkins in the 2018 NCAA Tournament
• Johns Hopkins is the only Division III team in the nation to have all seven fall teams in the NCAA Tournament in 2018. In addition to field hockey, the JHU football, men's and women's soccer, volleyball and men's and women's cross country teams all earned bids to the NCAA Tournament this fall. 
• Volleyball, and men's and women's soccer all advanced to the second round. Football is hosting a first round game while men's and women's cross country are running in the national championships on Saturday.

Against the Jumbos
• Saturday's meeting in the national semifinals is the first-ever between Johns Hopkins and Tufts in field hockey.
• This is just the seventh meeting with a NESCAC school in the Blue Jays' history. Hopkins has played Trinity (CT) six times and leads the series, 4-2. 

The Road to Spooky Nook
• On the strength of one of the best regular seasons in program history, including its first conference championship in 15 years, Hopkins earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament.
• Hopkins faced FDU-Florham in the second round of the tournament in Grantham, PA. The Blue Jays scored three first-half goals en route to a 4-0 win over the Devils.
• JHU then faced off against host and number one ranked Messiah in the quarterfinals. The Blue Jays scored first, but the Falcons answered with a pair of goals in an eight-minute span to take the lead. Hopkins tied the game with 4:01 to play in regulation and then won it with 1:19 to play in the second overtime on senior Grace Hillman's first goal of the season. 
• Junior Katie McErlean and freshman Abby Birk have two assists each through two NCAA Tournament games - the most in a single tournament in school history. In addition, sophomore Michaela Corvi's five points and two goals are the most in a single tournament.  

Centennial Conference Champions
• Hopkins finished in a tie for first place in the Centennial Conference standings with Franklin & Marshall and was the number two seed in the tournament, due to its loss to F&M in the regular season finale. Hopkins beat 19th-ranked Ursinus, 1-0, on freshman Izzy Thompson's goal with 3:20 remaining in regulation in the semifinals.
• The following day, Hopkins and 10th-ranked Franklin & Marshall battled to a scoreless tie through 90 minutes. The Blue Jays then prevailed in the shootout, 3-1, to win their first Centennial Conference Championship since 2003. Junior Katie McErlean, freshman Sarah Matyas and sophomore Michaela Corvi all converted their shootout attempts for the Jays. 
• Junior goalie Jodie Baris made two saves in the shutout of Ursinus in the semifinals and followed it with eight saves in the shutout at Franklin & Marshall in the championship game.

At the Helm
• Head coach Jane Wells took over the Blue Jay field hockey program in January 2017 and promptly turned it around. The Blue Jays had not made the Centennial Conference Tournament, or had a winning record, since 2014.
• In her first season at Homewood, the Blue Jays were picked to finish seventh in the league (out of 11 teams). Wells went on to lead Hopkins to a 14-5 record, the Centennial Conference regular season championship and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament. She would be named the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. 
• This year, Wells' Blue Jays won their first conference title since 2003, set the school record for wins (19) and earned the program's first-ever appearance in the national semifinals.
• In just two seasons at Hopkins, Wells has led the Blue Jays to 33 wins. In the four years prior to her arrival, Hopkins won a combined 31 games. 

Defensive Player of the Year
• Senior Grace Hillman was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year for second straight year earlier this month. She was the inaugural recipient of the award in 2017. She anchors a defense that ranks second in the conference and 12th nationally in goals against average (0.83). In addition, the JHU defense allows just 8.2 shots per game and is tied for 10th nationally in shutouts (11). 

On the Offensive
• Johns Hopkins leads the Centennial Conference in goals (55), goals per game (2.62), assists (32), assists per game (1.52), points (142) and points per game (6.76).
• The 55 goals and 142 points are the most by the Blue Jays since 2008 and are the sixth highest totals in program history. 
• The Blue Jays' four goals in their NCAA Sweet 16 game are their second most ever in an NCAA Tournament game. In addition, it was the fifth game this season in which the Jays scored at least four goals.

McErlean Having Career Year
• Junior midfielder Katie McErlean is having a career year for the Blue Jays in 2018. A three-year starter, she has posted career highs in goals (9), assists (7) and points (25) and in fact, has more than doubled her career totals in all three categories.
• A First Team All-Centennial Conference selection this season, McErlean needs just two points to break into the top-25 in school history. She also needs four points to become just the 22nd player in program history with 50 career points. McErlean is tied for 20th with 12 career helpers and needs three goals to rank in the top-25 in that category.

The Rookies
• Freshman forward Izzy Thompson leads the Blue Jays with 13 goals and 27 points - both are Johns Hopkins' freshmen records. Beth Cariello had held the record with 11 goals and 24 points since 1990 - eight and a half years before Thompson was born. 
• Thompson isn't the only freshman having an oustanding rookie campaign on the offensive end. Freshman middie Abby Birk is tied for third on the team in goals (8) and assists (5) and ranks fourth in points (21). She also is the primary insert on Blue Jay penalty corners. Birk earned Second Team All-Centennial Conference honors earlier this month.
• Defensively, a pair of freshmen have combined to start 40 games for the Blue Jays in Sarah Matyas and Avery Seward. The Hopkins' defense ranks second in the Centennial Conference and 12th in the nation in goals against average (0.83).

Corvi Transfers to Hopkins
• Sophomore Michaela Corvi is in her first season with the Blue Jays after transferring from Colgate. While with the Raiders, she started all 17 games and led the team with six goals and two assists. She was namd the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on October 16 after scoring a pair of goals against American. 
• Corvi ranks third on the team in goals (8) and points (22) and is second in assists (6). She was named Honorable Mention All-Centennial Conference earlier this month.

In the Cage
• Junior Jodie Baris has started every game and played all but nine minutes and 35 seconds in the cage for the Blue Jays this season. She has had another outstanding year in the cage and boasts a 0.83 goals against average and .812 save percentage to go with 19 wins and 10 shutouts. Baris leads the Centennial Conference in wins, ranks second in goals against average and shutouts and is third in save percentage.
• With three seasons under her belt, Baris is climbing the ranks of the Johns Hopkins record book. She ranks 15th in career saves (164), seventh in shutouts (14), second in wins (31) and 11th in minutes played (2694:48). 
• Baris' 19 wins are a school single-season record and are five better than the old mark of 14. She has also set the school record for minutes played in a season (1512:49) already this year. In addition, her 10 shutouts this season are tied for the second most in school history and are two shy of the record. 

Hillman Named to Senior All-Star
• Last month, senior Grace Hillman was selected to play in the Victory Sports Tours/NFHCA Division III Senior Game. The game, which features top senior players in the nation, will take place in conjunction with the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex on Saturday, November 17. Hillman is the first Blue Jay selected for the senior all-star game since 2012. 
• Hillman earned First Team NFHCA All-Region and Second Team All-America honors a year ago. She was the first Blue Jay All-American since 2011. 

Coach Wells to Run St. Jude Marathon
• Head coach Jane Wells is running the St. Jude Marathon for the second time on Saturday, December 1. In addition, she has run the St. Jude Half Marathon a dozen times. As the single largest one-day fundraising event for St. Jude, the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend offers every runner the opportunity to raise funds for our lifesaving mission. Wells' goal this year is to raise $3,000 for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Four Named to Centennial Silver Anniversary Team
• In the summer of 2018, the Centennial Conference released Silver Anniversary teams for each of its 24 sports in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The Johns Hopkins field hockey team had four alumna honored - Amy Wharton (Class of 2012), Leah Horton (Class of 2009), Adair Landy (Class of 2009) and Lauren Carney (Class of 2001). 
• For inclusion on a Silver Anniversary team, a student must have a degree from one of the Conference institutions and met one of the following qualifications: three-time or four-time first-team All-Centennial performer, two-time Centennial Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-America AND two-time First Team All-Centennial performer, two-time All-America (1st, 2nd or 3rd team).