LANCASTER, PA – The Johns Hopkins men's soccer team fell just short of an impressive comeback in a tough 4-3 loss at ninth-ranked Franklin & Marshall in a rain-soaked Centennial Conference game Saturday night. The Blue Jays see their four-game streak snapped as they fall to 8-3-3 overall and 3-2-1 in the conference. The Diplomats win their sixth straight to improve to 11-1-2 overall and 4-0-2 in the Centennial.
 
Hopkins struck first in the seventh minute as graduate student Griffin Meyer scored the first of his three goals on the night. Senior Francis Meyer played a long ball down the line to graduate student Aidan Dunphy, who played the ball to his left to classmate Ben Goodman. He then one-timed the ball forward to Griffin Meyer, who spun on his defender and scored to the bottom right corner.
 
Franklin & Marshall and Oscar Horwitz answered with four straight as the Diplomats took a 4-1 lead in the 69^th minute. Horwitz tied the game on a header off a Koa Kaliebe free kick in the 25^th minute. Just over three minutes later, Kaliebe forced a turnover deep in the Blue Jays' end and found Horwitz open for the go-ahead go.
 
Horwitz pushed the Dips' lead to 3-1 in the 35^th minute when he again was on the receiving end of a Kaliebe pass. He then capped his four-goal night in the 69^th minute when he got open at the top of the box, and scored on a shot to the left post to put F&M up 4-1.
 
The Blue Jays weren't going away however. Sophomore Jackson Shapiro sprung Griffin Meyer with a long ball over the defense. He ran on to the ball, took one touch to settle it and then beat Nolan Booth with a volley to the back post in the 73^rd minute. Just five minutes later, Hopkins was back within one. Junior Diego Elias lofted a long ball over the Dipomats' defense. Griffin Meyer split a trio of defenders before slotting a low shot under a charging Booth.
 
Hopkins had two more great chances to get level. Goodman had a look in the 82^nd minute but was turned away by Booth. The Blue Jays then drew a free kick near midfield with 30 seconds to play, but good not get the equalizer.
 
Hopkins had a 13-12 edge in shots while corner kicks were even at four. Senior Drew Valsamedis finished with six saves, two shy of his career high. Booth made four saves in the win for the Dips.
 
Notes: Griffin Meyer is the first Blue Jay to net a hat trick since Achim Younker on September 6, 2017 • He now has a team-best 11 goals on the season – the most by a JHU player since Younker finished with 17 in 2017.