MIDDLEBURY, VT – The Johns Hopkins men's soccer team rallied in regulation and then again in overtime to beat 15^th-ranked Babson, 4-3, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon. The Blue Jays improve to 13-4-4 and advance to the second round for the 12^th straight tournament. The Beavers fall to 11-4-7 and see their 12-game unbeaten streak snapped.
 
Trailing 3-2 with less than three minutes to play in the second overtime, the Blue Jays scored twice in just 57 seconds to take their first lead of the game. After a scramble in the box and the ball bouncing around, graduate student Max Edelstein chipped the ball over a charging Walker White to once again draw the Blue Jays level. Less than a minute later, Edelstein chipped the ball into the box, where it was headed down by junior Will Sangpachatanarukl. Graduate student Eli Carr then ran onto the ball and fired a rocket inside the right post to stake Hopkins to a 4-3 lead with just 1:33 on the clock. That would do it as Hopkins was able to run out the clock and secure the win.
 
Babson struck first with the first of Louis Gazo's two goals. Joao Araujo played a long ball over into the Hopkins' box. Senior Drew Valsamedis came out to challenge. The ball bounced once and then Gazo headed it over the Blue Jay goalie in the 28^th minute. Senior Tyler White nearly tied the game in the 44^th minute when he one-timed a cross from classmate Logan Falzarano, but it rang off the cross bar.
 
Gazo pushed the Beavers' lead to two in the 67^th minute with another header. Matias Gutierrez chipped the ball to the near post and Gazo headed it inside the back post. Babson looked like it was going to take the win, but Hopkins had other ideas.
 
Still trailing by two goals with less than eight minutes to play, the Blue Jays scored twice in just 2:01 to tie the game. Graduate student Griffin Meyer settled a pass from Carr, turned and slotted the ball through to sophomore Will Andrus. He dribbled towards the endline and then crossed the ball to graduate student Ben Goodman, who one-timed the ball at the right post to start the comeback.
 
Hopkins then drew a free kick about 30 yards out, in front of the Babson bench. Graduate student Aidan Dunphy sent the kick into the box, where senior Francis Meyer came flying in and volleyed the ball into the goal to draw the Blue Jays level with 5:26 on the clock. Edelstein looked to end it late, but White made back-to-back saves in the final 90 seconds to send the game to overtime. Babson retook the lead in the 96the minute when Alexander Yablonovskiy finished a cross from Gazo in the middle of the box.
 
Valsamedis finished with four saves in the win while White made 10 in the loss for the Beavers. Hopkins outshot Babson 27-15, and had a 7-2 advantage in corners.
 
Hopkins will now take on host and fourth-ranked Middlebury in the NCAA Second Round on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
 
Notes: Hopkins last rallied from a two-goal deficit in the NCAA Tournament on November 13, 1998 • JHU rallied to beat Bethany, 6-5, in the second round • The Blue Jays' four goals are their most in an NCAA Tournament game since a 5-0 win over John Jay in 2019.