For Starters
Johns Hopkins is making its second straight trip to the NCAA Semifinals and will face a familiar foe in sixth-ranked Franklin & Marshall. Saturday's game will be the third meeting between the Blue Jays and the Diplomats in the last three weeks. 

How the Blue Jays Got Here
Hopkins earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning  its second straight Centennial Conference Championship. The Blue Jays had a first-round bye and then took down the 11th-ranked Messiah Falcons in the second round at home. JHU scored a pair of goals in a 64-second span to go from a one-goal deficit to a one-goal lead with 1:08 to play in the third and went on to win, 3-2. 

Hopkins followed with a 2-1 overtime win over fourth-ranked Tufts. The Blue Jays struck first, scoring just 3:40 into the third quarter. The Jumbos answered with 6:31 left in the fourth to tie the game. Hopkins then punched its ticket back to the Final Four with Izzy Thompson's goal just 59 seconds into overtime. 

Home Sweet Home(wood)
Hopkins went a perfect 13-0 at home this season, including going 4-0 in the postseason. The Blue Jays are 29-4 (.878) at Homewood Field under head coach Jane Wells.     

Tough Slate
The Blue Jays have faced a tough slate in 2019 as they have taken on eight opponents ranked in the NFHCA Top-20. In fact, Hopkins has the third toughest schedule in the nation with an opponents' win percentage of .678. The Blue Jays are 6-2 against ranked opponents this season and 14-7 (.667) under head coach Jane Wells.

Around the Nation
The 30 players on the 2019 JHU field hockey roster represent 12 states with players from as far away as California, Texas and Illinois. Freshman Olivia Fox, who hails from Las Gatos, CA, is the furthest from home (2,857 miles). Sophomore Bailey Schwab meanwhile, is the closest to home as she is just 28 miles from home (Highland, MD).

Getting Offensive - Part I
The Blue Jays have erupted for 76 goals in 21 games this season, the third highest total in school history and three shy of the school record (2006, 2008). In fact, it is just the fourth time that a Blue Jay team has scored at least 70 goals in a season. Hopkins leads the Centennial and ranks seventh in the nation with 3.62 goals per game. The Jays' 76 goals are the most by a team in the conference since Ursinus scored an impressive 105 in 23 games in 2015. Hopkins also ranks ninth in the nation in scoring margin (+2.38). 

Getting Offensive - Part II
Sophomore Abby Birk leads the Blue Jays with a career-best 38 points (10g, 18) while senior Katie McErlean ranks second with a career-high 33 points and has a team and career-best 14 goals. Sophomore Maddie Brown-Scherer has also eclipsed the 30-point mark, totaling 32 on 12 goals and eight assists. This is just the second time in school history that Hopkins has had three players with at least 30 points in the same season. In 2006, Emily Miller (48 points), Adair Landy (32) and Sarah Bender (30) each reached the 30-point mark. In addition, Birk's 38 points are sixth in school single-season history and are the most since Miller set the school record with 50 in 2008. 

Penalty Corners
Johns Hopkins ranks third in the Centennial Conference and 25th in the nation with 9.90 penalty corners per game. The Blue Jays have taken advantage of those opportunities, scoring 22 of their 76 goals (28.9 percent) off corners. Against Messiah in the regular season, three of Hopkins' four goals came off corners. The Blue Jays also scored three times off corners in the win over Gettysburg (5-4) in the Centennial Conference Semifinals. In the win over Tufts on Sunday, both of Hopkins' goals came off corners. 

Lending a Hand - Part I
Sophomore Abby Birk leads the team and the Centennial Conference and ranks fourth in the nation with 18 assists. Her 18 assists are one shy of the school record, held by Amy Bruschi (2000). Birk is already tied for third in school history with 24 career assists. Sophomore Maddie Brown-Scherer is second on the Blue Jays and tied for third in the conference with eight assists, while senior Katie McErlean is third on the team and tied for 11th in the Centennial with five assists. McErlean is tied for 14th in school history (17 career assists, while Brown-Scherer is tied for 21st (13).  

Lending a Hand - Part II
As a team, Hopkins has racked up 55 assists in 21 games, the second highest total in school history. JHU leads the Centennial and ranks third in the nation in assists. It is the most assists by a team in the conference since Ursinus had 67 in 2015. 

Climbing the Ranks 
Several Blue Jays are making their move up the Johns Hopkins record book. Here's a look at where they rank:

Abby Birk (So. • M):
• Needs 1 point to rank 14th, 4 to rank 13th and 7 to rank 11th (has 60)
• Needs 2 goals to rank 23rd (has 18)
• Needs 5 assists to rank 3rd (has 24)

Maddie Brown-Scherer (So. • M):
• Needs 3 points to rank 25th (has 45)
• Needs 1 assist to rank 19th, 2 to rank 18th and 3 to rank 17th (has 13) 

Katie McErlean (Sr. • M):
• Needs 3 points to rank 6th and 4 to rank 5th (has 79)
• Needs 5 goals to rank 4th (has 31)
• Needs 1 assist to rank 10th, 2 to rank 7th and nd 4 to rank 6th (has 17) 

Kaitlin Hall (So. • GK):
• Needs 3 saves to rank 17th and 77 to rank 16th (has 52)
• Needs 1 win to rank 7th and 8 to rank 5th (has 16)