Johns Hopkins is mostly known as a lacrosse school, a reputation further solidified after it captured its second Division I national title in three years last spring. At the same time, the Blue Jays men’s soccer team toils in the obscurity that is Division III sports.
However, the lacrosse team may have to make room in the school’s trophy case for their soccer counterparts. The Blue Jays are 13-2 this season, ranked 11th in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America Coaches Poll and are legitimate contenders for the NCAA Division III championship.
Blue Jays coach Matt Smith has high expectations for his team after they went 19-2-2 last season and advanced to the Division III quarterfinals. But, Hopkins’ hopes of hosting early-round games of the tournament decreased after suffering a 2-1 loss to visiting and No. 9 York College at Homewood Field on Wednesday.
York midfielder Matt Beale, a former Curley standout, scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the second half.
“A game like this proved to us we could play with any team in the country,” Smith said. “We now need to work harder to close that gap if we’re going to advance farther in the tournament this year.”
Smith said he purposely scheduled a non-conference game against York prior to the Blue Jays? game against Centennial Conference rival Franklin & Marshall on Saturday. Last season, Johns Hopkins defeated Franklin & Marshall, 2-1, to win the conference title.
“What we did last season lifted the whole program,” Hopkins sophomore defender Tommy McQueen said. “Playing a team like York is only going to get us ready for the postseason.”
Freshman forward Scott Bukoski leads the team with 15 goals and four assists, with junior midfielder Nick Guana adding nine goals and eight assists.
But after a loss to York, the Blue Jays must regroup to make a push to earn its seventh Centennial Conference title and ninth NCAA tournament appearance since Smith took over the program in 1993. During that time, Johns Hopkins is 235-43-19, making Smith the winningest coach in school and conference history.
“The players on this team believe in themselves,” Smith said, “and have a strong desire to do even better this year.”
