No. 5 Johns Hopkins opened the 2016 season with a thrilling 12-11 win in double overtime against No. 18 Navy in Annapolis Tuesday night.
Less than a minute into the second overtime, sophomore attackman Shack Stanwick scored to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 start. Tuesday was the seventh time in the last 13 meetings that the game was decided by a single goal.
“It was a hard-fought game by both teams and the fans got a real treat tonight,” said fifth-year Navy head coach Rick Sowell. “I’m really proud of my guys and their effort, but at the end of the day you have to tip your hat to Johns Hopkins for making that last play to win the game.”
The Midshipmen trailed by three goals on three different occasions in the contest. Despite leading for nearly 57 minutes of the game, Hopkins found themselves in overtime.
After a scrum in front of the cage at the end of the first overtime period, Navy junior defenseman, Matt Rees, was flagged for unnecessary roughness and the Blue Jays would begin the second overtime period man-up.
Hopkins had converted on just two of its previous extra man opportunities, but this time, they were able to find a hole in Navy’s defense. Junior midde John Crawley found Stanwick for the game-winner.
“We’ve had major struggles down here for 30 years. It’s always been a challenging place to play,” said Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala. “I’ve got news for you, that’s a really good Navy team. They are really good in goal, which he showed late in the game. They have an aggressive defense with two dynamic poles and their offense is improved. Hats off to Coach Sowell and the team, they’re gonna give some teams trouble this season.”
Navy plays their third game in eight days at College Park against No. 4 Maryland Saturday. The Blue Jays travel to UMBC Saturday to face the Retrievers at 1 p.m.
