WASHINGTON, D.C. — By the time Johns Hopkins built a three-goal lead early in Sunday’s game at Georgetown, there was really only one thing Hoyas coach Kevin Warne wanted his team to do.

Chill — and not just because of the snowflakes that fell throughout the afternoon.

The Hoyas eventually did so, dominating the final three quarters on the way to a 16-8 victory in their season opener at Cooper Field.

“That first quarter really wasn’t us,” Warne said. “We tried to attack, attack, attack at 100 miles an hour. It was, ‘OK, let’s relax. Let’s do what we need to do,’ and we were much better.”

Dylan Watson scored six goals and Owen McElroy made 17 saves for Georgetown, which played without injured attackman TJ Haley. It was also the Hoyas’ first game since the graduation of career goals and points leader Jake Carraway, and their first since picking up defenseman Will Bowen, a first team All-America selection at North Carolina last season.

Brendan Grimes scored three goals and Connor DeSimone added one goal and three assists for Johns Hopkins (2-1), which played for the second time in three days. The Blue Jays won 18-12 at Towson on Friday, and a crammed weekend early on could replicate the demands of a conference tournament or a final four in May.

“It’s part of the process,” Hopkins coach Peter Milliman said. “It’s a long road. The season is about learning and building and getting better throughout the weeks, and I thought this weekend was a good example of our guys experiencing some tough challenges, some significant ones that are probably going to provide some answers as we go forward. Hopefully, we learn from it.”

For the most part, Georgetown didn’t so much learn as it was reminded of the returning strengths that helped it reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2007 last season. And much of that starts with McElroy, a fifth-year senior who allowed a couple goals off rebounds as Hopkins built a 5-2 lead.

After the first quarter, McElroy made 12 saves while allowing just three goals.

“After I got a few, I was able to settle in and feel good,” McElroy said. “Obviously, with those guys in front of me, they helped make me feel a lot more confident in the cage.”

With Bowen, longtime defensive anchor Gibson Smith IV and James Donaldson in place, it figured to be a test for the Hopkins starting attack of DeSimone, Grimes and Joey Epstein. They combined to shoot 6 of 30.

The more unpredictable developments for Georgetown came at the offensive end. Warne said he expected Haley “back very soon,” but with the sophomore sidelined, Graham Bundy Jr. (one goal, four assists) moved from midfield to attack.

Watson opened a season with a half-dozen goals for the second time in three years. An injury sidelined him until April last season, but Sunday’s burst made it clear he’s the most likely candidate to follow Carraway as the Hoyas’ top scoring threat.

“I think when you get the ball to 45, he makes everyone look pretty good,” Warne said.

It was Watson who scored with 7.7 seconds left in the first quarter to bring the Hoyas within 5-3, a goal that seemed to alleviate any lingering pressure. It was the beginning of an 8-0 run that twice included a pair of goals in a span of less than 20 seconds.

Just as impressive was how well Georgetown generated transition opportunities off 16 Hopkins turnovers.

“We just have to keep spinning the ball, keep the ball hot, keep moving our feet and that’s the recipe for success here,” Watson said.

That formula has worked for the last four seasons, a stretch that helped re-establish Georgetown as a top-10 program after a decade of largely forgettable lacrosse. First came the surprise Big East tournament titles in 2018 and 2019, then a 6-0 start in 2020 before the pandemic forced the cancellation of the season.

Last year’s quarterfinal appearance cemented Georgetown’s revival and also solidified an identity as a program with both a deep, stingy defense and an offense with plenty of capable options.

Sunday’s final 45 minutes suggest those traits haven’t changed, either.

“What we did in the last three quarters is who we are,” Warne said.