The Basics
• Score: #18 Johns Hopkins-14, East Carolina-7
• Records: JHU (5-4) • ECU (5-5)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Homewood Field
• The Short Story: Junior Madison McPherson and fifth-year Shelby Harrison combined for nine goals, including seven in the second half, to lead 18^th-ranked Johns Hopkins to a 14-7 win over ECU Sunday at Homewood Field.

 How it Happened
• This one was tight early as the teams traded goals over the opening 16 minutes of the game. With the game still tied at three late in the second quarter, it became the Harrison and McPherson show. The duo combined for eight goals in less than 10 minutes in a run that bridged halftime. Following a turnover on defense, freshman Charlotte Smith found a wide-opener Harrison in front for the easy score at 4:20. Just 88 seconds later, Harrison converted a FPS and Hopkins took a 5-3 lead into the half.
• McPherson took over to start the second, scoring a natural hat trick in a span of just two minutes and nine seconds to stake the Blue Jays to an 8-3 lead at 10:26. Harrison capped the eight-goal spurt with a free position goal at 9:35 and Hopkins led 9-3.
• Leah Bestany and Erin Gulden snapped the run with back-to-back goals to pull the Pirates back within four just four minutes later. Harrison and McPherson weren't done yet however. Harrison dodged the middle of the fan and scored with a shot low to the left corner at 4:35. Just over two minutes later, it was McPherson who dodged to the cage, dropped her stick and scored from the doorstep to put JHU up 11-5 after three.
• The Blue Jays picked up right where they left off, scoring two goals in 53 seconds early in the fourth to push out to an eight-goal advantage. Junior Maeve Barker, from goal-line extended found a cutting Smith for the quick-stick left-handed shot. McPherson followed with her fifth of the afternoon, splitting the defense in the fan and beating Brynn Knight with a bouncer to the far post.
• ECU again answered with two quick goals from Nicole LeGar and Frances Kimel to cut the deficit to six with 10:01 to play. But that's as close as they Pirates would get. Freshman Alayna Costa snuck into the middle of the fan, took a pass from senior Georgia Esmond and scored on a left-handed shot to put Hopkins up 14-7 with 4:27 to play.

What it Means
• Today's game was the first-ever meeting between Hopkins and ECU, which played its inaugural season in 2018.
• The Blue Jays snap a three-game losing streak with the win over the Pirates.

Inside the Box Score
• McPherson led the Blue Jays with her career-high five goals, all of which came in the second half. She is the first Blue Jays with five goals in a half since Nicole DeMase turned the trick versus Rutgers on March 23, 2019. Harrison added four goals and three draw controls to tie Dene' DiMartino's program record for career draws (267).
• Barker (1g, 2a) and Smith (2g, 1a) also had three points apiece and fifth-year Keegan Barger added her first goal of the season late in the first quarter. Senior Mia Farnella finished with a career-best six draws as JHU won the draw battle 13-12.
• Fifth-year Kathleen Garvey finished with eight saves and a pair of ground balls to earn the win.
• LeGar led the Pirates with a hat trick while Kim (2g) and Bestany (1g, 1a) had two points apiece. Knight made nine saves in 54 mintues of action, while Sophie Bandorick made one in nearly six minutes.
 
 Up Next
• Hopkins returns to Big Ten play as the Blue Jays travel to the Garden State to take on 12^th-ranked Rutgers. Opening draw at SHI Stadium is slated for 1:00 pm.
  Read Full Article