Dan Denihan scored a career playoff-high eight points on four goals and four assists to lead fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins to a 15-11 win over Notre Dame in an NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinal before 5,036 at Homewood Field today. The Blue Jays won their eighth straight game to improve to 9-3 and earn a matchup with top-seeded Syracuse in the one semifinal Saturday in College Park, Md. The Fighting Irish wrap up their season 10-4.
Ahead 7-6 with 5:10 to play in the second quarter, Denihan and Bobby Benson scored three goals each to key an 8-2 run that saw the Blue Jays pull out to an insurmountable 15-8 lead with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter. Todd Ulrich scored two of his team-high three markers in the fourth quarter as Notre Dame held Hopkins scoreless and provided the final four-goal margin.
“I thought we played a pretty solid game overall,” said Johns Hopkins coach John Haus, whose team advanced to the Final Four for the second straight season. “We came in with a tremendous amount of respect for the Notre Dame coaching staff and players. At the same time, I’m proud of our guys, and we’re very excited about having another shot.”
Chris Young scored on David Ulrich’s second assist with 1:15 left in the first quarter to give Notre Dame a 3-2 lead. Johns Hopkins responded with a 5-0 run, thanks in part to two goals from Conor Denihan, to take a 7-3 advantage. Jon Harvey, one of four Irish players to score at least twice, then closed a 3-0 Notre Dame run that reduced the gap to 7-6 midway through the second quarter, setting the stage for the Blue Jays’ game-clinching spurt.
“Hopkins played very well. We didn’t play poorly. They made some plays, as did we, just not enough. We just came up short,” said Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan, whose Irish upset fifth-seeded Loyola, 15-13, in the first round last week. “We were not as selective with our shots as we needed to be, especially in the third quarter.”
Hopkins outscored the Irish 7-2 in the decisive third period. The Blue Jays’ matchup with Syracuse will mark the teams’ first meeting in the NCAA Tournament since 1992. Hopkins dropped a 13-12 game at Syracuse on March 17.
| Notre Dame (10-4) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3–11 | |
| #4 Johns Hopkins (9-3) | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0–15 |
Goals:
UND: T. Ulrich 3, Bishko 2, Harvey 2, Young 2, Flandina, Glatzel, JHU: D. Denihan 4, Benson 3, C. Denihan 3, Shaberly 3, Doneger, Frattarola.
Assists: UND: Flandina 2, Oakey 2, D. Ulrich 2, Bishko, Glatzel, JHU: D. Denihan 4, Doneger 3, Muir, Shaberly.
Saves: UND: Howell 11, JHU: Carcaterra 12.
Shots: UND: 37, JHU: 48. EMO: UND: 2-for-5, JHU: 2-for-3.
Attendance: 5,036.