The bigger the stage, the better Johns Hopkins plays. The Blue Jays put on a show in front of an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal-record crowd of 17,017 by dominating Navy, 10-4, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Now, Johns Hopkins will try to continue its success on the game?s biggest stage: the Final Four.
Fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins became the fist defending champion to advance to the Final Four since Syracuse in 2003. But when the team arrives at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., it will be a decided underdog.
The Blue Jays (10-5) face top-seeded Duke (18-1) on Saturday, as Johns Hopkins will look to move within one victory of its third national title in four years. But it?s won?t be easy. The Blue Devils hammered the Blue Jays, 17-6, during the regular season, and head to the Final Four coming off a 21-10 win over Ohio State on Saturday. Virginia (14-3) and Syracuse (14-2) meet in the other semifinal, with the winners playing Monday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
“I think we love playing in big crowds,” Rabil said. “The sport is really growing and we?re looking to play on the biggest stage of lacrosse this weekend.”
Johns Hopkins defeated Navy (10-6) for the second time this season to extend its winning streak over the Midshipmen to 35 games dating to 1974 by turning a close game into a rout in the third quarter.
Leading 5-3 at halftime, the Blue Jays put the game away during the next 15 minutes on goals by Paul Rabil, Kevin Huntley and Steven Boyle to extend their advantage to 8-3 entering the final quarter. Johns Hopkins? outburst during the third quarter continued a trend that has powered a seven-game winning streak, as the Blue Jays have outscored their opposition in the third quarter, 27-7, during that span.
The Blue Jays? held Navy scoreless for a span of more than 33 minutes bridging the first and fourth quarters. Navy scored once in the final 46 minutes.
“[Saturday?s] game is indicative of how our season?s gone,” Gvozden, who made 13 saves, said. “I really did start off very tight, but luckily I have good coaches and teammate to help relax me.”
The Blue Jays? senior class improved to 10-0 in games played in front of at least 10,000 fans. This weekend, a crowd of more than 50,000 is expected at Gillette Stadium.
“This is one of my more exciting wins at Johns Hopkins considering where we?ve been, what we?ve had to go through and that we had to take a road through Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium,” Pietramala said. “[We beat] a Navy team in their own stadium with their own fans. That?s not an easy thing to do.”
