GRANTHAM, PA – Where were you on October 4, 1994?
The Johns Hopkins-Messiah women's soccer rivalry, which dates back to 1998 and has seen its fair share of classics, was renewed for the 22
nd time on Wednesday night. It's safe to say, the first 21 versions had nothing on the 22
nd.
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The 17
th-ranked Blue Jays twice trailed by a goal, then led by a goal late in the game and finally had to hold off a late charge by the third-ranked Falcons before settling for a 3-3 tie. It had been a while since the Blue Jays had been involved in a game that ended in 3-3; as in, they had only done it once before and that one took place almost 30 years ago … on October 4, 1994.Â
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This one seemed destined to end the way so many of the previous Hopkins-Messiah games had when the Falcons carried a 1-0 lead into halftime. A great individual effort by Kristina Akselsen, who took on a defender at the top of the box, worked her right foot free from 18 yards out and stung the top corner, accounted for the only goal of the opening 45 minutes.
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While the teams combined for 23 first-half shots, only six were on frame and few could have seen what was coming after the break. How could they? In 21 previous meeting, the teams had combined for three goals or less 16 times.
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The Blue Jays pressured from the opening whistle of the second half and pulled even in the 52
nd minute when
Lilah Isenberg collected a deflected Blue Jay shot and deposited the rebound inside the far post.
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The 1-1 tie lasted for just over 14 minutes before the teams combined for four goals in a 19-minute span with a series of highlight-worthy strikes on both sides. Consider:
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• The Falcons answered Isenberg's goal in the 66
th minute when Julie Martin scored on a running header off a perfectly placed free kick into the box from 35 yards out.
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• Not to be outdone,
Ava Venuti's left-footed cross from nearly 40 yards out drifted to the back post, where freshman
Carolyn Johnson volleyed home her first career goal while sliding to the ground to bring the Blue Jays even again at 2-2 in the 76
th minute.
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• The craziness reached its peak in the 83
rd minute when the Blue Jays grabbed the lead on an improbable goal. Forced to play a ball with her feet, Messiah goalie Ava Wert's clearing attempt ricocheted off the back of a charging
Carrie McIntire and drifted five yards into an open goal to make it 3-2 Hopkins in the 83
rd minute.
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• The one-goal Blue Jay lead lasted for just over 90 seconds before the Falcons forced the third and final tie of the game. After a Messiah player chased down a ball that appeared destined to clear the end line for a goal kick, a cross into the box eventually found Messiah's Brittany Laird, who fired the game-tying goal into the far corner.
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Whew!
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All that was left was playing out the final 5:50 after Laird's goal. Isenberg had a chance shortly after Laird's equalizer, but fired wide. The Falcons had a corner with just over a minute to play and a Bella Touzeau shot was blocked by a Blue Jay defender with 59 ticks remaining when it appeared she had an open net in her sights.
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In all, the teams combined for the six goals, 43 shots and nine corner kicks. The six goals are the most ever scored in a Hopkins-Messiah game and this marks the first time in 22 meetings that both teams scored more than once.
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If you missed the 3-3 Blue Jay tie on that October day in 1994, tonight may have been your chance. After all, who knows where you'll be in 2054.
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Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, September 7 when the Blue Jays travel to Roanoke to take on the Maroons (7 pm) in the first of two games at the Roanoke Invitational.
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