BALTIMORE, MD – Fans may easily remember the game-tying and game-winning goals from Johns Hopkins' 9-8 come-from-behind win at Loyola Maryland on Saturday afternoon.  What set up those two goals, which came in the final 80 seconds of regulation, were two plays by a pair of sophomores at the other end of the field that even gave the Blue Jays a chance to grab their ninth consecutive road victory.
 
Up 8-7 as the clocked dripped closer to the two-minute mark, the Greyhounds found Henry Haberman on a quick feed from the top of the box to the low slot just to the right of Blue Jay goalie Luke Staudt.  There, sophomore Luke Martin checked the ball from Haberman's stick and classmate Quintan Kilrain scooped up the ground ball and cleared.  The ninth and final caused turnover of the game for the Blue Jays proved to be the one of the biggest plays of the day for Hopkins.
 
By the time the 'Hounds had possession again, the Blue Jays had turned the one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead on an unassisted goal from Matt Collison with 79 seconds remaining and a Russell Melendez extra-man goal with 41.2 ticks on the clock.  The Blue Jays drew the extra-man chance – just their second in four games this season – after Loyola was called for a slash on the playing leading into Collison's goal.

Q4 | 0:41
JHU-9, Loyola-8

4x4 ... Melendez with his 4th goal off the 4th dime of the day for Brooksie ... Jays up one late. #GoHop #WeWantMore pic.twitter.com/198In3tgU3

— JHU Men's Lacrosse (@jhumenslacrosse) February 15, 2025

 
The late two-goal spurt capped a 6-2 game-ending run for Johns Hopkins, which found itself in a 6-3 hole five minutes into the third quarter before rallying.  After the 'Hounds opened the third quarter with three goals in a span of just over three minutes to grab the three-goal lead, the Blue Jay defense allowed just two goals over the final 25:38 to fuel the rally.
 
Melendez and Stuart Phillips scored back-to-back goals in a 76-second span – both off assists from junior Brooks English – to quickly trim the 6-3 deficit to 6-5 midway through the third quarter.

After Matthew Minicus went low for his second of the day at the 7:14 mark, Collison got free in the slot and English threaded a pass that he handled in traffic before beating Max Watkinson from eight yards out.  The 7-6 Loyola lead held for more than five minutes before Melendez and Phillips forced Watkinson into a turnover on a clear attempt and Phillips scored into an open net to pull the Jays even.
 
The tie lasted for just over nine minutes in the fourth quarter before the Greyhounds capitalized on a Blue Jay turnover and Luke Murphy scored from distance off a Brady Quinn feed to give the Greyhounds an 8-7 lead.
 
Murphy's goal would be the only one Loyola would manage in the final 22:14.  In fact, other than a Haberman offering that went wide with 3:47 on the clock and a Brady West runner with 11 seconds left, the Blue Jay defense never allowed a good look down the stretch and Martin's caused turnover ignited the game-ending spurt that sealed the win.
 
Playing in a mixture of snow and sleet, neither team could gain its footing early on as the slippery conditions helped contribute to 11 combined first-quarter turnovers.  Still, the Blue Jays grabbed a one-goal lead with 4:59 remaining in the opening period when Melendez got to the goal from the side and ducked inside his defender to stuff home the game-opening goal.
 
In a game of runs, Loyola stuck three in a row in a span of 11:22 between the first and second quarters, only to have the Blue Jays pull even at the break on late second-quarter goals from Melendez and Dylan Bauer.

Q2 | 3:04
Loyola-3, JHU-2

Jays ride one back. Colhoun (CT, GB) to Hackler to Melendez to get the Jays within one. #GoHop pic.twitter.com/w3sO6T5qLJ

— JHU Men's Lacrosse (@jhumenslacrosse) February 15, 2025

 
Minicus would jump-start the second, three-goal run of the game for the 'Hounds just 77 seconds into the third quarter and Kyle McCarthy's goal gave Loyola the 6-3 lead three minutes later, but Melendez halted the run with his third of the game 48 seconds later to ignite the 6-2 game-ending run for Johns Hopkins.
 
Melendez paced the Blue Jays with four goals and one assist and Collison and Phillips both scored twice.  English punched up a career-high four assists with all four of his helpers coming during Hopkins' late 6-2 spurt.  Logan Callahan went 10-of-18 on faceoffs and grabbed seven ground balls for Johns Hopkins, which outshot the 'Hounds 30-24 and was good on 22-of-24 clearing attempts.
 
Minicus (2g, 2a) was the only multi-goal scorer for Loyola, which got one goal and two assists from Murphy, 13 saves from Watkinson and a 9-of-16 effort at the X from Carson Hall.
 
Notes of Interest
• Johns Hopkins' nine-game road winning streak is the longest active road winning streak in the nation.
• The Blue Jays have won nine straight regular season games dating back to last season.
• The Johns Hopkins defense held Loyola scoreless for stretches of 10:58 and16:20. In four games this season, JHU has already held the opposition scoreless for a stretch of 10 minutes or longer eight times.
• Dating back to last season, JHU has held 13 consecutive opponents to 11 goals or less.
• The 10 assists for English in the last three games are the most in a three-game span for a Blue Jay midfielder since Joel Tinney had 10 in a three-game span early in the 2018 season.
 
Up Next
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, February 22 when the Blue Jays welcome North Carolina to Homewood Field (12 pm).