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Johns Hopkins University Athletics

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Jillian McNaughton
MARTY CORCORAN

Women's Lacrosse Jill Guise - Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Game Notes | Blue Jays Visit the Blue Devils

OPENING DRAW
• Johns Hopkins hits the road for the second time in the last three games to take on host and 14th-ranked Duke on Sunday afternoon.
• Hopkins is coming off a 14-8 win over 19th-ranked Loyola in the Battle of Charles Street and the Blue Jays' home opener on Wednesday.
 
IN FEBRUARY
• Hopkins is 50-27 (.649) all-time in the month of February.
• Now in their 51st season, the Blue Jays did not play a game in February until 2002. Saturday's opener was the second earliest in program history.
• Hopkins is 35-15-1 (.696) all-time in season openers and has won 20 of its last 23 season-openers. 
 
50 YEARS OF BLUE JAY LACROSSE
• 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of women's lacrosse at Johns Hopkins. JHU made its program debut on March 26, 1976 at Swarthmore.
• JHU earned the program's first win on April 13, 1977 - a 12-7 win over Hood.
• The Blue Jays made the transition to Division I in 1999 and went 10-4 that season. 
• Johns Hopkins is 499-325-4 (.605) in 50 seasons, including 280-188 (.598) as a Division I program.
• Hopkins became just the 12th program in NCAA history, across all divisions, to play 800 games on April 10, 2024.
• The Blue Jays have posted 39 winning seasons, including 21 straight from 1987 to 2007. Hopkins has also made 22 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 13 in the Division I Tournament. JHU has made the last seven NCAA Tournaments, and all 13 DI appearances have come since 2004.
• JHU has produced 137 all-conference selections and 90 All-Americans in 50 seasons. In addition, 20 players have been inducted into the University's Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
TEWAARATON AWARD
Reagan O'Brien and Ava Angello were named to the 2026 Tewaaraton Award Watch List it was announced Tuesday afternoon. This is the second straight year the duo has been named to the Watch List.
• Angello and O'Brien are the sixth and seventh players in Johns Hopkins history, respectively, to be named to the Tewaaraton Watch List twice. O'Brien is the first defender to do so. This is also the second consecutive season that JHU has had multiple players named to the list. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins outscored visiting Loyola, 7-1, in the second half to beat the 19th-ranked Greyhounds, 14-8, Wednesday afternoon. The win snapped a five-game losing streak in the series. 
• After a first half that saw the two teams combine for 14 goals, the third quarter saw just two scores, both from the Blue Jays. Hopkins finally got on the board in the third quarter with 2:38 to play. Reagan O'Brien took the ball away on defense and then Lacey Downey scored off the dodge to spark that 7-1 run. Just 37 seconds later, McKenzey Craig spun away from her defender on goal line extended and bounced home her first career goal.
• Hopkins wasted little time in the fourth quarter pushing its lead to three as Paige Willard scored just 38 seconds in. Downey and Ava Angello connected on a pick-and-roll at the 13:40-mark to put the Blue Jays up 11-7. Three minutes later, Downey found Willard on a back-door cut for her second of the game. Mim Suares-Jury answered for Loyola, snapping a 23-minute scoring drought, with a sidearm shot from eight yards out. Angello then completed her hat trick when she got free, thanks to a Sally Zinser screen, and scored in-tight off another Downey helper at 4:28. Sienna Chirieleison capped the scoring 75 seconds later with a behind-the-back shot in the slot off a feed from Willard.
• After Loyola took the game's first lead on an Elisa Faklaris goal less than two minutes in, the rest of the half was a game of runs. Zoey Smith tied the game with a transition goal off a failed 'Hounds goal at 11:05. That sparked a 5-0 Blue Jay run that spanned just seven minutes. Laurel Gonzalez put the Jays on top with another goal off a failed clear. Taylor Hoss then blew home a lefty shot, followed by free position goals from Samantha DiCarlo and Downey to stake Hopkins to a 5-1 lead.
• Loyola answered with a 5-0 run of its own, with goals from five different players, over a span of just 6:24 to take a 6-5 lead. Ava Kane punctuated the run at the 11:20-mark in the second to give the 'Hounds their first lead since early in the first. Angello and Hoss responded with back-to-back goals, just 25 seconds apart, to grab a 7-6 lead for the Blue Jays. It looked like JHU would take that lead into the half, but a Kane transition goal with just 1.9 ticks on the clock made it a 7-7 game at the break.
• Downey led the Blue Jays with five points (2g, 3a) while Angello (3g, 1a) and Willard (2g, 2a) added four points each. Angello notched her 34th career hat trick and extended her goal-scoring streak to 41 games. Hoss tallied two goals and nine players notched at least one point in the win. O'Brien finished with five caused turnovers and six ground balls while Gonzalez controlled five draws. Hannah Johnson added three caused turnovers and two ground balls and Ashley Langdon posted five saves in the cage.
 
I'M HONORED
Ava Angello was named the USA Lacrosse Player of the Week on Tuesday after her performance in the 17-7 win at Liberty. She scored eight goals, on just nine shots on goal, to single-handedly outscore the Flames. The eight goals tied her career high and are one shy of the school Division I single-game record.
• This is Angello's first career national player of the week honor.
 
RECORD BREAKER - PART I
Reagan O'Brien broke the NCAA Division I single-season record for caused turnovers last season. She broke the 25-year-old record with her 83rd takeaway, in the Big Ten semifinals, and finished the season with 103.
• O'Brien also broke the Johns Hopkins career record for caused turnovers in the semifinals. She surpassed Lacey Leigh Hentz's record of 146, which had stood for 20 years. She now holds the Johns Hopkins game (12), season (103) and career records (177) for caused turnovers.
• O'Brien has tallied 11 caused turnovers through two games this season, bringing her career total to 177. She is now tied for ninth in NCAA history and needs 23 to become just the fourth player to reach 200 career caused turnovers. 
 
RECORD BREAKER - PART II
Laurel Gonzalez wasted no time in making her mark in the Johns Hopkins record book as a freshman in 2025. She set the single-game (18) and single-season (166) marks for draw controls and is already tied for sixth in program history in career draws. Her 166 draw controls were the fourth most in Big Ten single-season history.
• Gonzalez ranked second in the Big Ten and 14th in the nation with 8.30 draws per game last season. She posted six of the top-10 single-game draw performances in JHU history and had double-digit draws seven times. Gonzalez is also tied for the JHU record for draws in a postseason game (11).
• Gonzalez leads the Blue Jays with 11 draws in two games this season and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 5.50 per game. Lacey Downey ranks second on the team and is ninth in the conference with 4.50 draws per game.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
• Johns Hopkins opens the season playing three of its first four games on the road. The Blue Jays will travel to three states (Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) and cover nearly 1,300 miles during the four-game opening stretch.
• Hopkins will then play eight of its next 12 games within the friendly confines of Homewood Field. Two of those final four road games include trips to Northwestern and Oregon.
 
AROUND THE BIG TEN
Johns Hopkins has been picked to finish third in the Big Ten in a preseason vote of the league's head coaches.
• Defending B1G champion Northwestern is the preseason favorite to win the title in 2026. Maryland is second, with Hopkins third, Michigan fourth and Penn State fifth. USC, Rutgers, Ohio State and Oregon round out the poll.
• The top seven teams will make the Big Ten Tournament with the top team in the final league standings earning a bye into the semifinals. The teams that finish second through seventh will play quarterfinal games on Wednesday, April 22. The semifinals are set for Friday, April 24 with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, April 26. Michigan will host all three rounds of the tournament.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
• The Blue Jays piled up the honors this preseason.
• Senior attacker Ava Angello, senior defender Reagan O'Brien and junior midfielder Lacey Downey were named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list. The trio, along with sophomore midfielder Laurel Gonzalez, were also named to the USA Lacrosse Preseason All-America team. In addition, Angello and O'Brien were named to the Nike Lacrosse Preseason All-America team. 
• Angello led the Blue Jays in points (90) and ranked second in goals (65) and third in assists (25). O'Brien led the team with an NCAA-record 103 caused turnovers, to go with a team-best 65 ground balls. Downey ranked second in assists (30) and draw controls (33) and was fourth in goals (28) and points (58). Gonzalez led the team and ranked second in the Big Ten with a school-record 166 draw controls. She also totaled 10 points (8g, 2a).
 
INSIDE LACROSSE POWER 100
• Four Blue Jays were named to the Nike Lacrosse/IL Women Power 100 Freshmen rankings this Fall, including three in the top 35.
Sienna Chirieleison leads the quartet as she is ranked 11th, followed by Zoey Smith (31st) and McKenzey Craig (33rd) in the top 35. Paige Willard is an honorable mention selection.
• Chirieleison was a three-time USA Lacrosse All-American at Trinity, where she totaled 532 goals, 105 assists, 449 ground balls, 299 caused turnovers and 330 draw controls. She broke the Pennsylvania state record for career goals.
• Smith earned USA Lacrosse All-America honors twice at Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science. She finished her career with 411 goals, 55 assists and 354 draw controls and holds the school record for goals in a season (126) and career.
• A three-time USA Lacrosse All-American, Craig led Plant to a pair of state championships. She was named the Hillsborough Area Lacrosse Player of the Year as a senior.
• Willard was a two-time USA Lacrosse All-American at Skaneateles, where she totaled 126 goals, 138 assists, 74 ground balls and 80 draw controls. She led her team to a state championship as a sophomore.
 
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN 
• Graduate student Sally Zinsner and seniors Ava Angello, Hannah Johnson and Reagan O'Brien have been selected as captains for the 2026 season.
• Zinsner transferred to Homewood after a standout career at Holy Cross. She ranks fifth in program history in career points (182) and sixth in goals (133). She led the team in points as a junior (78) and senior (68) and is a two-time All-Patriot League selection (First Team in 2025, Second Team in 2024).
• Angello is the Blue Jays' active career leader in points (211), goals (158) and assists (53). A three-time Honorable Mention All-American and two-time All-Big Ten pick, she ranks sixth in school Division I history in points, fourth in goals and 14th in assists.
• Johnson is a two-time captain and has started 51 games on defense. She has totaled 75 ground balls and 55 caused turnovers in 58 career games and is tied for 18th in school Division I history in caused turnovers.
• A consensus First Team All-American and the 2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, O'Brien is the NCAA's active leader with 166 career caused turnovers. She holds the JHU single-game (12), season (103) and career (166) records for takeaways. She has also totaled 123 ground balls and ranks 15th in school Division I history.
 
TAKEAWAYS
• Hopkins tallied 20 caused turnovers in Saturday's season-opener at Liberty. Reagan O'Brien (six) and Lacey Downey (four) combined for half of those. In total, 10 Blue Jays notched at least one caused turnover versus the Flames. JHU followed that up with 15 caused turnovers in Wednesday's win over Loyola. O'Brien led the way with five, while Downey and Hannah Johnson had three each.
• Johns Hopkins led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation with 12.90 caused turnovers per game in 2025. O'Brien led the nation with 5.15 caused turnovers per game, while Johnson ranked sixth in the Big Ten (1.45). Paris Colgain and Downey were tied for ninth in the league with 1.25 caused turnovers per game.
• O'Brien is the program leader with 177 career caused turnovers and Johnson is 18th with 59 takeaways in her career.
• Hopkins finished 2025 with 258 caused turnovers, the second highest single-season total in program history. The Blue Jays were just nine shy of tying the record (267), set in 2000.
• In the last two years under defensive coordinator Dorrien Van Dyke, the Blue Jays have turned in two of the six best caused turnover totals in program history. In 2024, JHU totaled 213 takeaways, which ranks sixth in school history, and ranked seventh in the nation with 10.65 per game.
 
POLL POSITION 
• Hopkins is ranked eighth in the IWLCA Coaches Poll and ninth in both the KANE IL Media and USA Lacrosse Polls this week.
• JHU was ranked in the top-10 in all three polls in the preseason. It is the second straight year the Blue Jays are ranked in the top-10 in both the IWLCA and USA Lacrosse preseason polls. It is the first time JHU is ranked in the top-10 in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll since 2007.
• Nine of the Blue Jays' 2025 opponents are ranked in the IWLCA and KANE IL Media Polls and eight are ranked in the USA Lacrosse Poll.
 
200-POINT CLUB
Ava Angello became just the eighth player in Johns Hopkins Division I history, and 13th all-time, to tally 200 career points (150 goals, 50 assists) in the 2025 Big Ten semifinals versus Northwestern. She reached the milestone in just 56 games, the seventh fastest all-time in school history to reach the mark.
• Angello is the first player to reach the 200-point mark since Maggie Schneidereith in 2020. Schneidereith finished her career in 2021 with 249 points (151 goals, 98 assists). Angello now boasts 223 points (169 goals, 54 assists) in 60 career games.
 
CENTURY CLUB
Taylor Hoss needs 23 points to become the 52nd player all-time in program history to score 100 career points. She would join Ava Angello as current Blue Jays in the Century Club.
• Hopkins graduated a pair of 100-point scorers in Ashley Mackin and Campbell Case from last year's team.
 
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
Ava Angello turned in her third straight season with 40+ goals in 2025. She scored 40 goals as a freshman in 2023 and followed that with 53 goals in 2024 and 65 in 2025. Angello is the first player to accomplish the feat since Dene DiMartino (2014-2016) and just the ninth in program history.
• Angello also became the first player with back-to-back 50-goal seasons since Mary Key, who scored 50 or more goals in each of her four seasons (2004-2007).
• Angello's 90 points last season are the most by a Blue Jay since Taylor D'Amore totaled 105 points in 2014. In addition, her 90 points are the fourth most in school Division I history and sixth all-time.
 
GETTING OFFENSIVE
• Hopkins brings back three of its top-four goal scorers and their top three in assists in Ava Angello, Taylor Hoss and Lacey Downey. In total, the Blue Jays return 54 percent of their goals (147 of 272), 62.5 percent of their assists (110 of 176) and 57.3 percent of their total points (257 of 448). Hopkins returns seven players that notched a point in 2025, including six that tallied at least 10 points.
• JHU boasted a balanced attack in 2025 as four players scored at least 28 goals and five had at least 40 points. It was the second straight year, and just the third time in program history, that Hopkins had five players with 40 or more points - Angello (90), Ashley Mackin (85), Hoss (61), Downey (58), Charlotte Smith (40).
• It was the first time since 1995 that Hopkins had two players - Angello and Mackin - with 80 or more points in a season. The last to do so were Jenn Ward (99) and Francine Brennan (97). In fact, it was just the third time in JHU history that two players reached the 80-point mark.
• In addition, it is the first time in school Division I history, and just the second time ever, that the Blue Jays have had two players with 60 or more goals. The last time it happened was in 1994, when Rebecca Savage scored 71 goals and Ward scored 60.
• Under head coach Tim McCormack and offensive coordinator Nicole Graziano, the Blue Jays are re-writing the Hopkins' record book. In the last two seasons, JHU has turned in the top-two point, goal and assist totals in program history. The last two seasons' point and assist totals rank first and second all-time (since 1976) in program history. The last two seasons' goal totals are tied for second and fourth all-time.
 
LENDING A HAND
• Hopkins assisted on 12 of 17 goals in Saturday's season-opener - more than 70 percent of its goals. In addition, nine players had at least one assist. Through two games, the Blue Jays rank second in the Big Ten and 11th in the nation with 9.50 assists per game. JHU is assisting on 61.29 percent of its goals (31g, 19a) this season.
• In 2025, Hopkins broke the school single-season record for assists for the second straight year. JHU finished with 176 assists, 15 more than 2024 (161). The 2024 team broke the previous record by 31 - a record that had stood since 1994. Hopkins led the Big Ten and ranked seventh in the nation in assists in 2024 (8.05). Last year, the Blue Jays led the conference and ranked third in the nation (8.80).
• The Blue Jays handed out double-digit assists nine times (out of 20 games) in 2025 and set the single-game record with 17 assists in the win over Liberty in the NCAA Tournament. JHU has posted 16 double-digit assist games under head coach Tim McCormack.
• Hopkins assisted on 64.70 percent of its goals (272) last season, which led the nation. It was the second straight year that JHU led the nation in goal-to-assist ratio. The Blue Jays assisted on 62.40 percent of its goals (258g, 161a) in 2024.
 
IN THE CIRCLE
• Hopkins outdrew Liberty, 17-9, in Saturday's season opener. Lacey Downey led the Blue Jays with a career-best seven draws and Laurel Gonzalez tallied six. It was the 32nd time (in 59 games) under head coach Tim McCormack that JHU had more draws than its opponent.
• Going into 2025, Hopkins was looking to replace 86 percent of its draw controls lost to graduation - and found the answer in Gonzalez. She went on to break the single-season record and ranked second in the Big Ten with 166 draw controls in her freshman campaign.
• In her collegiate debut, Gonzalez outdrew Florida all on her own, controlling 12 draws to the Gators' seven. She finished the season with seven double-digit draw performances, including a school record 18 versus Oregon. She already ranks sixth in school history in career draws and is 120 away from tying Shelby Harrison's career record (297).
• As a team, Hopkins finished with 285 draw controls in 2025, the second highest total in program history and eight shy of the record. The 2024 squad holds the record with 293. JHU ranked third in the Big Ten in draws in 2024 and fourth in 2025. JHU has turned in three of the top-four single-season draw totals in school history under McCormack. In addition, Hopkins has posted five of the top-six single-game draw performances and has had 20 or more draws in a game eight times under McCormack.
 
ON A ROLL
Taylor Hoss ended last season on roll as she totaled 16 goals and 16 assists over the final eight games of the season. The 32 points were more than 52 percent of her season total of 61 points in 20 games. During that stretch, she notched 10 points (4g, 6a) in the Big Ten Tournament to earn All-Tournament Team honors.
• Hoss' 16 goals in the last eight games of the season came on just 19 shots on goal. She tallied three hat tricks during the stretch and had a pair of six-point games. Hoss ranked eighth in the Big Ten in assists (32) and assists per game (1.60) and was 10th in total points (61). She picked up right where she left off and has six points (4g, 2a) in the first two games of the season.
• During the same eight-game stretch, Ava Angello totaled 40 points on 26 goals and 14 assists. Her 26 goals came on 53 shots on goal (.491). She ranked second in the Big Ten and 20th in the nation in points (90). She also ranked third in the conference and 17th in the nation in goals (65). Angello didn't miss a beat in the offseason as she has totaled 11 goals and 12 points in the first two games. In fact, her eight goals in the season opener were one more than the entire Liberty team.
 
AGAINST THE BLUE DEVILS
• Johns Hopkins and Duke meet for 12th time on Sunday. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series, 8-3, though the Blue Jays have won the last two meetings.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• The Blue Jays' 2026 roster includes one graduate student, five seniors, 11 juniors, 11 sophomores and 11 freshmen.
• The 39-woman roster features players from 14 states, the District of Columbia and one Canadian province (Ontario). The Blue Jays also represent all four United States time zones.
• By state, the Blue Jays hail from New York (11), New Jersey (5), Pennsylvania (3), Virginia (3), Maryland (2), Massachusetts (2), California (2), Illinois (2), Michigan (2), Florida (1), South Carolina (1), Oregon (1), Georgia (1) and Colorado (1).  
 
WELCOME TO HOMEWOOD
• Head coach Tim McCormack welcomed one graduate transfer - attacker Sally Zinsner (Holy Cross) - to Homewood this Fall. Zinsner totaled 133 goals, 49 assists, 54 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers in 54 games with the Crusaders. She earned All-Patriot League honors as a junior and senior.
• The Blue Jays also welcomed 11 freshmen to campus this year. Joining Hopkins in August were Ally Campbell, Sienna Chirieleison, McKenzey Craig, Anya Dunn, Molly Hiney, Brooke Koffler, Maddie Moore, Georgia Pavlou, Mary Pavlou, Zoey Smith and Paige Willard.
 
IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
• Athletics at Johns Hopkins is a family affair and this year's team is no different.
• Freshmen Georgia and Mary Pavlou are the 14th pair of sisters to don the Hopkins Blue & Black.
• Senior Reagan O'Brien played alongside her older sister, Quinlan O'Brien '25, for three seasons.
• Senior goalie Morgan Giardina and sophomore midfielder Emmy Haugen are both following in the footsteps of their fathers, Scott Giardina and AJ Haugen. Giardina was a two-time All-American goalie and led the Blue Jays to the NCAA Semifinals as a senior in 1992. Haugen was a three-time First Team All-American midfielder and was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
 
ON TAP
• Johns Hopkins is right back on the road as the Blue Jays visit 11th-ranked Penn on Saturday, February 21. Opening draw at Franklin Field is slated for 3:30 pm.
 
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Players Mentioned

Campbell Case

#21 Campbell Case

Att.
5' 8"
Graduate Student
Paris Colgain

#20 Paris Colgain

Def.
5' 8"
Senior
Ashley Mackin

#27 Ashley Mackin

Att.
5' 7"
Senior
Quinlan O

#6 Quinlan O'Brien

Def.
5' 10"
Senior
Charlotte Smith

#34 Charlotte Smith

Att.
5' 5"
Senior
Ava Angello

#18 Ava Angello

Att.
6' 0"
Senior
Samantha DiCarlo

#26 Samantha DiCarlo

Mid.
5' 6"
Junior
Lacey Downey

#40 Lacey Downey

Mid.
5' 3"
Junior
Morgan Giardina

#14 Morgan Giardina

GK
5' 6"
Senior
Laurel Gonzalez

#11 Laurel Gonzalez

Mid.
5' 7"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Campbell Case

#21 Campbell Case

5' 8"
Graduate Student
Att.
Paris Colgain

#20 Paris Colgain

5' 8"
Senior
Def.
Ashley Mackin

#27 Ashley Mackin

5' 7"
Senior
Att.
Quinlan O

#6 Quinlan O'Brien

5' 10"
Senior
Def.
Charlotte Smith

#34 Charlotte Smith

5' 5"
Senior
Att.
Ava Angello

#18 Ava Angello

6' 0"
Senior
Att.
Samantha DiCarlo

#26 Samantha DiCarlo

5' 6"
Junior
Mid.
Lacey Downey

#40 Lacey Downey

5' 3"
Junior
Mid.
Morgan Giardina

#14 Morgan Giardina

5' 6"
Senior
GK
Laurel Gonzalez

#11 Laurel Gonzalez

5' 7"
Sophomore
Mid.
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