BALTIMORE, Md.-Virginia men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia said that the battle between the No. 9 Cavaliers and fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins was going to be a dogfight between two well-matched teams, but even he never dreamed that such a fairy-tale ending would come out of Saturday's game.
With under three minutes left in the fourth overtime, Virginia junior attackman Conor Gill wrapped around the right side of the Johns Hopkins net and rifled a shot below the reach of Blue Jay sophomore goaltender Rob Scherr to give the Cavaliers a 9-8 win over Johns Hopkins. The game was the longest in both teams' history.
"I didn't see it go in - thank God it did, though," Gill said. "I hit the ground [after shooting], and then a bunch of my teammates jumped on top of me. To be honest, I was just completely exhausted. I'm just glad to finally get the game over and get out of here with a win."
Gill had to share the spotlight with Tillman Johnson, whose 18 saves capped a breakout performance for the Cavalier freshman goalkeeper.
"I was definitely nervous, but I didn't let it affect my play," Johnson said. Hopkins "came out firing in the first half and scored a few man-down goals. But I stayed composed and just played my game."
"I felt confident in the second half," Johnson continued. "I got a few big saves and I was really on top of my game. [The saves] got the team going and got me going. I felt no one could score on me after that."
Saturday's victory over Johns Hopkins (2-2) was the second consecutive win for Virginia (3-3) and its first against a top-10 opponent this season.
|
Read More
Malik Washington selected 184th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins
By Xander Tilock | 9 hours agoWashington may have fallen down the draft board, but he will surely make a significant impact at the professional level.
At Virginia wushu, everybody is ‘Kung Fu Fighting’
By Xander Tilock | 10 hours agoA national powerhouse, Virginia wushu is both a top tier athletic club and a welcoming community.
Five Takeaways from Virginia’s Spring Game
By Peter Kriebel | YesterdayVirginia football is shaping up to make significant progress in 2024, led by an array of newcomers and promising underclassmen.
