No. 8 Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse was able to hang on in the last 39 seconds to pull out an 11-10 victory over No. 17 Towson before an announced crowd of 1,829 at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Tuesday night.

Towson attackman Ronan Fitzpatrick scored his fifth goal with 39 seconds remaining to pull the Tigers within one. Towson (0-1) won the ensuing faceoff but failed to get off a shot in the remaining time to potentially send the game into overtime.

Midfielder Mikey Weisshaar (Spalding) finished with two goals for Towson. Sophomore attackman Hunter Chauvette led Hopkins with three goals, while eight other players scored for the Blue Jays.

Balance was key for Hopkins (2-0). Towson kept pace by scoring off fast breaks and unsettled situations, but the Blue Jays were excellent when their offense settled down. Defensively, they forced the Tigers into tough situations as Towson finished 19-for-25 on clear attempts.

“The stick work was not good; we had way too many turnovers,” Towson coach Shawn Nadelen said. “They did a good job of protecting with their slides and they got their sticks on a couple of passes. We had a couple of opportunities, but we couldn’t connect.

“It was our first game and we know we can play better. But we still had an opportunity at the end of the game to send it into overtime.”

Hopkins didn’t show any fatigue after playing in Denver on Saturday. The Blue Jays could have had a drop-off after their season-opening 13-10 win over the No. 14 Pioneers, but neighborhood rival Towson brings out the best in Hopkins.

Against Denver, the Blue Jays had 13 players competing in their first game with the team, including nine playing in their first college game. To win Tuesday night in a grudge match was significant.

“I thought we played tough,” Hopkins coach Peter Milliman said. “It was not a clean game, but it’s early February. But to play two road games against quality teams, well, I’m impressed to get away with a win.”

The Blue Jays had a comfortable 8-4 lead on back-to-back goals from midfielders Tyler Eye and Brooks English midway through the third quarter, but Towson refused to quit. Fitzpatrick scored two straight goals in the last two minutes of the frame to pull the Tigers within 8-7.

The Blue Jays had three two-goal leads in the fourth quarter, including 11-9 after attackman Stuart Phillips beat defender Conor Spagnolli with 4:04 remaining. But Fitzpatrick set the stage for a possible overtime.

The Blue Jays were ready.

“It was a little bit of calm intensity, if that makes sense,” said Hopkins goalie Luke Staudt, who finished with 10 saves. “Just because the stakes are a little higher doesn’t change our preparation, or change what we’re going to do.”

The teams were even statistically for most of the game. The Blue Jays took 37 shots compared with Towson’s 33. Hopkins led 32-28 in ground balls and narrowly won the turnover battle, committing 18 to the Tigers’ 21.

It was a typical early season game, including a sloppy first quarter as Towson outshot Hopkins, 10-9. The Tigers tied the game at 2 at the end of the period on a fast-break goal from Fitzpatrick.

Towson opened the quarter with an unassisted goal from midfielder Chop Gallagher, but the Blue Jays answered with two straight goals over the next 10 minutes.

Hopkins attackman Erik Chick scored an extra-man goal with 5:52 left to tie the score at 1 after Towson midfielder Ray Glass was called for a slashing penalty. After a quick hitch move, Blue Jays midfielder Matt Collison scored a short-range goal with 4:19 remaining to put Hopkins ahead, 2-1.

The Blue Jays dominated the second quarter, scoring four straight goals within the first five minutes. Nadelen called a timeout after a goal from defenseman Scott Smith following a Towson turnover.

Only minutes before, Chauvette scored two straight goals, the first with 12:43 left in the half, and another on an assist from English about two minutes later.

Johns Hopkins opened the period on a goal from midfielder Dylan Bauer as he beat Glass again just two minutes into the quarter. Towson broke the Blue Jays’ scoring streak with a goal from attackman Alex Vieni with five minutes left in the second quarter.

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