If there is something Reagan O’Brien can’t do on the lacrosse field, the Johns Hopkins women have yet to make that discovery.

Already the NCAA Division I record-setter for most caused turnovers in a season, O’Brien further burnished that reputation and played a critical role in the No. 8 seed Blue Jays’ 21-11 thumping of Liberty in an NCAA Tournament first-round game Friday afternoon at Homewood Field.

O’Brien was a walking example of versatility.

The junior defender racked up 12 caused turnovers, 10 ground balls, three draw controls and the first goal of her career.

O’Brien pointed out that she also committed three turnovers as she critiqued her play.

“There’s definitely things I individually can improve on, but I could not do it without my teammates,” she said. “The backup I have when I go for interceptions or the ground balls that are picked up when I check the ball, I can say great things about every single one of my teammates on the draw circle, on the defense, in goal, on the attack. It’s a team effort.”

Asked if she could recall the last time she had registered a double-double, O’Brien said she had only recently learned what that meant and acknowledged that she is not a basketball fan.

“I didn’t think that I could get 10 caused turnovers, let alone 12,” she said. “So I’m excited for what’s next.”

In light of O’Brien’s comments, junior attacker Ava Angello took it upon herself to praise her teammate.

“She does it all for our team out there,” Angello said. “Like today, she’s scoring goals, she’s passing out assists, she’s doing turnovers, she’s on the draw. She’s an all-around player and a great person. I’m lucky she’s on our side.”

Four of O’Brien’s caused turnovers ended up in goals for Johns Hopkins and three of her ground balls contributed to tallies. Her 12 caused turnovers are the most by a Division I player in a single game since at least the 2014 season. (Online records only go as far back as 2015.)

O’Brien ranks 22nd in NCAA history in career caused turnovers with 160, which shatters Lacey Leigh Hentz’s previous school record of 146.

The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year also leads the country in caused turnovers this season with 97, which eclipsed the previous single-season mark of 82 set by Manhattan’s Moira Muthig in 2000.

Flames coach Kelly Nangle did not seem surprised by O’Brien’s eruption.

“She’s a stud, and we knew that going into it,” said Nangle, a 2006 graduate of Mount St. Mary’s. “The girls knew, and we still managed to throw the ball in her direction. But she’s a really good player, and she plays the passing lanes really well, and that was something we really struggled with today.”

In their debut as an NCAA Tournament host, the Blue Jays (13-6) thoroughly bounced back from a heartbreaking 16-15 loss to five-time reigning Big Ten Tournament champion Northwestern on April 25 by lighting up the scoreboard for their highest number of goals in an NCAA Division I postseason game.

For the second straight year, they advanced to the second round where they will face Princeton (15-3), a 19-10 winner over Massachusetts (15-4), on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Playing their first game in 14 days, Johns Hopkins did not seem bothered initially by any rust. The offense scored the first three goals and owned a 6-2 advantage midway through the second quarter.

But the Flames, who earned their first invite to the NCAA Tournament by capturing their first Atlantic Sun regular-season and tournament crowns, reeled off four unanswered goals in a span of 3:08 to knot the score at 6 with 3:35 remaining. Sophomore midfielder Lacey Downey’s goal off a pass by sophomore midfielder Samantha DiCarlo with 2:43 left sent the Blue Jays to halftime with a 7-6 lead.

McCormack used one of his two first-half timeouts after Liberty tied the score, and Angello said she appreciated her coach’s decision.

“I think that was a really big moment for us to kind of take a deep breath and really recollect and reconnect with each other and let us take in the moment,” she said. “We worked so hard to get here, and we know what we’re capable of. We just had to put all of the pieces together.”

Just 59 seconds into the third quarter, O’Brien capitalized on Liberty sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Hines leaving the cage to help on her team’s ride by firing the ball into an empty net. That goal kickstarted a 3-0 run in a 5:22 stretch that gave the Blue Jays a 10-6 lead that the Flames would trim to two goals before running out of gas.

In addition to O’Brien, Johns Hopkins got sterling performances from its starting attack of Angello, Ashley Mackin, Campbell Case and Taylor Hoss. Angello’s nine points on six goals and three assists were a program record in an NCAA Division I Tournament game. Case, a graduate student, dished out six assists, and Hoss, a sophomore, compiled two goals and two assists.

The six goals by Angello and Mackin were another school record during its NCAA Division I Tournament era. Mackin, a senior, also added an assist in her first start since a five-game absence caused by a right foot injury.

“She came into practice a little over a week ago, and we saw the same young woman that we saw a month ago,” McCormack said. “So I expected there was a possibility, but when you go out and execute and watch it happen, it’s awesome, it’s special. She’s a great player.”

Senior attacker Cami Merkel paced Liberty (12-8) with two goals and three assists, and senior attacker Taiva Reinertson scored three times. Hines made a game-high 12 saves, and sophomore midfielder Ava Menna led all players with 12 draw controls.

Nangle said she appreciated her team’s effort against a heavily favored opponent.

“First time ever being in the NCAA Tournament. So I think you have a lot of nerves and panic that maybe could happen,” she said. “Just proud of how they didn’t play scared. They showed up ready to play with the expectation that we could win the game.”

Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.