TOWSON, MD – Host Towson used a 9-0 run to turn a 4-2 deficit into an 11-4 lead and never let visiting Johns Hopkins get closer than six the rest of the way as the Tigers topped the Blue Jays, 17-8, at Johnny Unitas Stadium in the men's lacrosse season opener for both team Saturday afternoon.
 
The first career goal for Johns Hopkins' freshman attackman Joey Epstein with 48 seconds left in the first quarter gave the Blue Jays the 4-2 lead they would carry into the second quarter.
 
It took the Tigers just 92 seconds of the second period to even things up as Brody McLean scored twice to knot the score at 4-4 and a Grant Maloof goal off a scramble situation with a flag down just over two minutes later to give Towson at 5-4 lead – a lead the Tigers would never relinquish.
 
Towson would turn the 5-4 lead just 3:38 into the second period into a 10-4 lead at the half with five goals in the final 10:40 of the second quarter.  Senior Brendan Sunday 's unassisted strike with 3:13 left in the opening half capped his first-half hat trick and Jake McLean polished off the first-half scoring just 69 seconds before intermission.
 
A Sunday goal early in the third quarter was the final goal in the nine-goal spree for Towson as freshman Taite Cattoni scored after a failed Tiger clear one minute after the Sunday strike.  The Blue Jays had several opportunities to string together consecutive goals after the Cattoni goal, but it was a Luke Fromert goal off a nifty cross-crease pass from Timmy Monahan midway through the period that ignited a 4-0 run for the Tigers over the final 8:16 of the third quarter.
 
Johns Hopkins outscored the Tigers 3-2 in the final period with Cole Williams, Kyle Marr and Forry Smith all scoring for the Blue Jays.  Sunday finished his six-goal, two-assist day with two more goals in the period to account for the 17-8 final score.
 
Smith scored twice for Johns Hopkins, while Williams (1g, 3a) Epstein (1g, 1a) and Connor DeSimone (1g, 1a) all had multi-point games for Johns Hopkins.  Sophomore Ryan Darby made his first career start in goal for the Blue Jays and posted 15 saves.
 
Sunday paced the Tigers with his career-high six-goal, eight-point effort, while McLean (3g), Maloof (2g) and Koby Smith (2g) also had multi-goal games.  Senior Alex Woodall was dominant on faceoffs as he won 21-of-28 with 17 ground balls and also had one goal and two assists.
 
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, February 16 when the Blue Jays welcome Loyola to Homewood Field.  Faceoff for the second game in a men's-women's doubleheader against the Greyhounds is set for 2 pm.
 
Notes:  Marr extended his goal-scoring streak to 15 games with his fourth-quarter goal • The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak in season openers for the Blue Jays • JHU is now 27-11 all-time in games played in February and 2-1 in games played on February 9.