2014 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament: Hopkins Storms Virginia in 14-8 Win

Johns Hopkins used an 8-0 run that spanned the first and second periods to earn a 14-8 victory against Virginia at Klockner Stadium. The win shuttles the Blue Jays to the quarterfinals where Hopkins will face the winner of Air Force-Duke at Delaware Stadium. The loss closes the Cavaliers' season, a campaign in which the 'Hoos rebounded from a sub-.500 effort in 2013 and returned to the NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers built an early two-goal lead on the back of Mark Cockerton, the Canadian slinger pushing through buckets in the game's first 4:44. Virginia looked poised and determined at the game's sunrise, finding creases in Hopkins' elite defense and capitalizing on a Hopkins turnover and a functional giveaway from the Jays in the game's opening minutes. For the next 18:17, though, Virginia would totally lose its volition after a relentless and game-defining run from Hopkins.

The Jay's burst -- one in which they would pump in eight goals before a response from eighth-seeded Virginia -- was the function of Hopkins manufacturing circumstances conducive to scoring and the Cavaliers throwing its transmission in neutral and pressing the accelerator, a dichotomy that saw the Blue Jays zip past the 'Hoos and remain in the Cavaliers' windshield for the remainder of the game. In the almost 20-minute stretch where the Jays mercilessly strung together eight buckets:

• Johns Hopkins manufactured seven tallies (two came directly from riding postures where the Jays caused turnovers; two came directly from faceoff wins; and four came from various defensive stops (including Eric Schneider saves) while Hopkins benefitted from one possession earned from an unforced Virginia giveaway.
• Johns Hopkins turned 12 offensive opportunities into eight goals (66.67 percent of Hopkins' possessions turned into goals (!!!)) on 15 shots (53.33 percent). Contrastingly, Virginia turned eight possessions into nine fruitless shots and three difficult turnovers.

The push from Hopkins -- scoring a goal every two minutes -- gave the Jays all the cushion that Johns Hopkins would need to earn the win.

The Cavaliers would put together a noble but ultimately ineffective charge after falling behind 8-2 to the Jays. Three goals a 3:39 stretch sandwiched around a Connor Reed goal from an alley dodge put the teams into the half with the Jays holding a 9-5 advantage. The 'Hoos found some fire early in the third quarter, rifling in three straight goals -- part of a 6-1 retaliation from Virginia -- that trimmed the Jays' lead to 9-8, a one-goal margin that seemed manageable for the Cavaliers with 20:29 remaining in regulation. It would, however, be the last score that the Cavs would register against Johns Hopkins, failing to emerge with a late attack indicative of Virginia's rally against Hopkins in the regular season.

Coolly and calmly, Hopkins answered the Cavs' insurgence with a maniacal skull-crushing that seemed to replicate the game's genesis: Wells Stanwick scored 11 seconds after Tyler German drew the Cavs within one, pushing Hopkins' lead out to two and setting the stage for a four-goal fourth quarter (the final two goals from the Jays coming with Virginia in full-on scramble mode to make up ground, in aggressive postures not generally indicative of run-of-play defense) that sealed the win for Hopkins.

TRUNCATED ADVANCED BOX SCORE