The Basics
• Score: #25 Johns Hopkins-16, Rutgers-11
• Records: JHU (10-7, 3-3 B1G) • RU (7-10, 1-5 B1G)
• Location: Piscataway, NJ • High Point Solutions Stadium
• The Short Story: The 25th-ranked Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse team beat host Rutgers, 16-11, in both teams' regular season finale on Saturday to clinch a spot in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament.
How it Happened
• Hopkins jumped out to a 3-1 lead less than four minutes into the game but Rutgers answered with a four-goal run to go up 5-3 with 15:24 to play in the half. Junior Nicole DeMase and senior Shannon Fitzgerald scored just 62 seconds apart to stake the Blue Jays to the early 2-0 lead. Joanna Reilly got the Scarlet Knights on the board at 26:07, but freshman Aurora Cordingley answered just 38 seconds later to make it a 3-1 game.
• Reilly got her second of the game, off a pass from Taralyn Naslonski, at the 24:21-mark to spark the home team's four-goal run. Naslonski fueled the run with three straight goals to put Rutgers up two midway through the half.
• Cordingley ended Rutgers' run with a no-look behind-the-back shot off a DeMase feed at the 14:32-mark. That score ignited a four-goal Hopkins run that saw the Blue Jays take a 7-5 lead into the half. Junior Miranda Ibello then fed the ball to a cutting Mackenzie Heldberg, who slipped a shot inside the left post at 8:26. Just 28 seconds later, DeMase scored on the run in the right alley to put the Blue Jays back on top, 6-5. Heldberg pushed the lead to two when she converted a free position shot.
• Naslonski opened the second-half scoring with her fourth of the day at 25:35. Junior Haley Crosson made a save on her free position shot, but Naslonski scooped up the rebound and scored from the doorstep to pull Rutgers back within one. Just over a minute later, Heldberg completed her hat trick with a quick-stick goal off the Ibello pass.
• Sydney Quinn and Naslonski followed with back-to-back goals in less than two minutes to knot the score at eight with 21:36 to play. DeMase answered with a pair of goals, followed by a fourth goal from Heldberg, and Hopkins took an 11-8 lead with 18:57 still to play. DeMase scooped up a loose ball, dodged the left alley and scored. Just 20 seconds later, she took a pass from Ibello and scored with two defenders on her. Heldberg capped the three-goal spurt when sophomore Maggie Schneidereith found her in the slot for the quick score.
• Samantha Budd and Kerri Puckhaber then sandwiched goals around a strike from Cordingley and it was a 12-10 game just eight minutes later. Heldberg scored her fifth of the afternoon, off another Ibello pass, to ignite a four-goal run that spanned just two minutes and seven seconds and put the Blue Jays up 16-10 with 3:33 still to play. Naslonski capped the game's scoring with her sixth of the afternoon to cut the deficit to five at the 3:11-mark.
What it Means
• Hopkins improves to 4-0 all-time against Rutgers, including 2-0 in Piscataway. The win secures a berth in the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight year for the Blue Jays.
• The Blue Jays reach double digit wins for the sixth straight year and 21st time under head coach Janine Tucker.
• Ibello handed out eight assists, tying the program's all-time single-game record. She has 65 assists in her career, fourth most in school Division I history, and she also ranks 18th with 115 career points.
• Schneidereith finished with four assists and five points. She now ranks 12th in program Division I history with 40 career assists. In addition, she needs just four points to become the fourth active player to notch 100 career points.
• Freshman Shelby Harrison controlled 11 draws, matching the total for the entire Rutgers squad, and tying her own school record. Her 11 draws brings her season total to 83, the second most in school history.
Johns Hopkins Leaders
• Points: Ibello (8)
• Goals: Heldberg (6)
• Assists: Ibello (8)
• Draw Controls: Harrison (11)
• Ground Balls: Hoeg (2), Barger (2), Harrison (2)
• Caused Turnovers: Kachris (3)
• Saves: Crosson (12)
Opponent Leaders
• Points: Naslonski (7)
• Goals: Naslonski (6)
• Assists: Four with (1)
• Draw Controls: Navaroli (6)
• Ground Balls: Sharp (3), Naslonski (3)
• Caused Turnovers: Paratore (3)
• Saves: Kearns (8)
Up Next
• Hopkins will take on top-seeded and third-ranked Maryland on Friday, May 4 in the Big Ten semifinals. Opening draw at Michigan Lacrosse Stadium is slated for 5:00 pm.
