Johns Hopkins? win Sunday over Hofstra may have simply represented the first round of the NCAA Division I women?s lacrosse tournament to most people, but to Kadie Stamper it was a history-making event.
Stamper (C. Milton Wright) said she got goose bumps thinking about the 12-8 win over Hofstra, which gave the Blue Jays their first victory in the NCAA tournament since moving from Division III to Division I in 1999.
The win meant even more for Stamper, a junior midfielder, after Hopkins just missed out on making the 16-team tournament last season. The Blue Jays (12-7) now must prepare for their second-round game at 1 p.m. Saturday at second-seeded Duke (15-3). The Blue Devils advanced following a 23-8 victory over Le Moyne Sunday.
“Every game, every year we?re learning a little bit more about what it takes to win,” said Stamper, who has 25 goals and five assists.
For coach Janine Tucker, beating Hofstra was the culmination of 14 years of work as she guided Hopkins seamlessly in its transition to Division I. The Blue Jays are 169-67 since Tucker?s first season in 1994, including 101-50 in Division I. The team has had 20 consecutive winning seasons and has never won less than 10 games since 1992.
“Making history is always at the forefront of all of our minds,” Tucker said. “We?ve been in the tournament a couple of times before this, but couldn?t get out of the opening round. Now, we?re ready to take the next step.”
Getting to the school?s first Final Four will not be easy. Duke, which is coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances and are 50-10 over the last three seasons, has championship aspirationsof its own.
While this year?s men?s lacrosse tournament has had its fair share of upsets with the University of Maryland-Baltimore County beating seventh-seeded Maryland and Delaware taking out defending champion Virginia, parity has not found its way into the women?s event. Seven of the eight seeded teams advanced to the quarterfinals ? No. 8 Vanderbilt losing to Syracuse being the lone exception.
Still, Hopkins is heading into its game at Duke with an open mind, using the upsets on the men?s side as part of its motivation.
“Duke is a great program, but we feel like we have the ability to beat any team out there,” Stamper said.
