GETTYSBURG, PA –
Brendan Listzwan headed home the game-winner in the 74
th minute to lift Johns Hopkins to a 2-1 win over host and second-seeded Gettysburg Friday night. The Blue Jays improve to 8-6-6 overall and advance to the Centennial Conference title game for the fourth straight year. The Bullets fall to 10-6-3 with the loss.
Hopkins grabbed the early lead when
Connor Wilkes was tripped in the box just 2:03 into the game.
Alex Gardner stepped to the spot and beat Sean Kennedy on the penalty kick. It is Gardner's third straight game with a goal. The lead was short-lived however as the Bullets drew a foul in the box in the 12
th minute. Sergio Neto scored on the kick to draw Gettysburg level.
The Bullets outshot the Blue Jays 7-0 during a 15-minute stretch, but
John Ghanem and the Blue Jay defense kept the home team at bay. It was then Hopkins' turn and the Blue Jays had seven straight shots, including two that hit the post, over the span of 22 minutes. It was the seventh shot that did the trick. Wilkes took a Blue Jay free kick about 30 yards out, sending the ball towards the middle of the box where Listzwan headed it under the crossbar.
Gettysburg stepped up the pressure, searching for the equalizer. Tommy Myers had a shot in-tight in the 87
th minute, but Ghanem punched it out. Finn Hoefer then had one last shot for the Bullets with 95 second to play, but his shot missed just high.
Ghanem finished with two saves as Hopkins pushed its unbeaten streak to six (5-0-1). Kennedy totaled four saves in the loss for Gettysburg.
Hopkins will now travel to top-seeded Dickinson on Sunday. The Centennial Conference Championship is set for a 1:00 pm start.
