Johns Hopkins, Rutgers Deliver B1G Quarterfinal Shockers

Bailey Cheetham called game.

In a seesaw game that was virtually even in most team statistical categories, Johns Hopkins got an overtime winner from Cheetham to upset Michigan in the Big Ten quarterfinals Saturday in Ann Arbor.

BAILEY CHEETHAM WINS IT FOR HOPKINS 🚨 @HopkinsLacrosse holds on in the second half to upset @UMichWLAX. pic.twitter.com/r38tzi6syh

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) April 27, 2024

Cheetham, who dodged from goal-line extended and beat Erin O’Grady while being swarmed by a team of Michigan defenders, led Hopkins with five points (one goal, four assists).

The Blue Jays, ranked No. 13 in the USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20, play top-seeded Northwestern on Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern in the conference semifinals. No. 7 Michigan awaits its fate on Selection Sunday.

Johns Hopkins scored the game’s first four games and seven of the first eight, and while that 7-1 lead roughly halfway through the third quarter looked promising, Michigan quickly awakened to erase the deficit.

Five different scorers — Jill Smith, Jane Fetterolf, Ava Class, Kaylee Dyer and Julia Schwabe — deposited goals in a 5-0 run that cut the deficit to 7-6. After Ava Angello and Ashley Mackin scored to push the Hopkins lead to 9-6, Michigan scored three times in the final 2:18 of regulation to send it to overtime.

Michigan won the opening draw of overtime, and after a foul on Kacie Riggs, Katharine Merrifield earned a free position chance. Her shot went high, and Michigan turned it over via a shot clock violation. That led Hopkins’ game-winning possession.

The other Big Ten semifinal will be Penn State against Rutgers on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Rutgers delivered the early shocker of postseason play, downing Maryland 9-8 in College Park. Chrissy Thomas assisted Victoria Hensh for a 7-6 Terps lead early in the fourth quarter, but Payton Tini, Ava Kane and Lily Dixon scored the next three goals for Rutgers for a 9-7 lead.

RUTGERS PULLS IT OFF. 😮@rutgers_wlax is onto the Big Ten semis after downing @MarylandWLax 9-8. pic.twitter.com/6aO4ibyffA

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) April 27, 2024

Eloise Clevenger fed Hannah Leubecker to make it 9-8 with 2:14 to play. With the Terps continuing to threaten, Sophia Cardello made two saves in the final 28 seconds to preserve Rutgers’ upset victory.

Penn State exacted a bit of revenge on Ohio State with a 15-13 win after the Buckeyes clipped the Nittany Lions by a goal on March 28. A five-goal fourth-quarter run was the difference for Penn State, which was led by four goals apiece from both Gretchen Gilmore and Emma Kelly. Kayla Abernathy controlled 13 draws.

USA LACROSSE TOP 20 SCORES

B1G quarterfinal: Rutgers def. No. 6 Maryland 9-8
B1G quarterfinal: No. 13 Johns Hopkins def. No. 7 Michigan 10-9 (OT)
No. 9 Yale def. Columbia 18-5
No. 10 Florida def. Temple 18-7
No. 11 Penn def. Dartmouth 13-6
B1G quarterfinal: No. 12 Penn State def. Ohio State 15-13
No. 16 Princeton def. Harvard 18-17 (OT)
No. 17 James Madison def. Old Dominion 18-9
Cal at No. 19 Stanford, 10 p.m. Eastern
No. 20 USC def. San Diego State 21-9

No. 14 Denver vs. Xavier — canceled due to inclement weather

ACROSS THE NATION

UMass def. Richmond 13-12

Jordan Dean set the single-season NCAA Division I draws record (238 and counting) by securing 17 draws to lead the Minutewomen past the Spiders in a key Atlantic 10 rivalry game. Maddie Jenner (Duke) held the previous single-season mark with 233.

UMass, which never trailed after Tessa Shields scored to make it 4-1 with 10:40 left in the second quarter, won the conference’s regular-season crown and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming A-10 tournament.

No. 16 Princeton def. Harvard 18-17 (OT)

Riley Campbell scored with 22 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but Harvard didn’t have enough magic left in overtime to beat Princeton. McKenzie Blake scored 63 seconds into the extra frame for her fifth of the game and the winner for the Tigers. Grace Tauckus and Meg Morrisroe both scored four times for Princeton.

Trailing by three goals entering the fourth quarter, Princeton scored five of the next six goals to turn a 15-12 deficit into a 17-16 lead.

Brown def. Cornell 23-17

Mia Mascone had six goals assists and Greta Criqui added six goals of her own to pace Brown in a high-scoring matchup. Neither Brown nor Cornell, both of which had strong seasons, qualified for next weekend’s Ivy League tournament.

Elon def. Towson 12-11 (OT)

Sammy Fisher scored the winning goal just 58 seconds into the overtime period to send Elon to the CAA tournament. Tied with Towson in the conference standings entering the game, Elon will now be the fourth seed.

Facing season’s end late in the fourth quarter, Kailey McKenna netted the equalizer for the Phoenix, making overtime possible. Fisher and Cierra Hopson each had three goals, and Mia Zebley led Elon with two goals and five assists.

La Salle def. George Washington 13-12

Claudia Steinmetz scored the tying and winning goals inside the final four minutes to propel La Salle to its third win of the spring, snapping a nine-game losing streak. Steinmetz scored five goals, and Katie Johnson had four. Mackenzie Click had three goals and two assists.