Michael Evans remembers well his final game at Homewood Field.

Evans shut down All-Ivy League attackman Thomas Muldoon to help Johns Hopkins beat Brown, 12-11, in overtime on May 9, 2009.

“It felt good to walk off Homewood for the last time with a win,” Evans said this week.

That is one of many fond memories Evans, now a defenseman for the Chesapeake Bayhawks, has from four years of playing at Homewood, which has been referred to as the “Yankee Stadium” of lacrosse facilities. Games against rivals Maryland and Syracuse are also quite vivid, even eight years later.

“Homewood is one of the reasons why I went to Hopkins,” Evans said. “Johns Hopkins lacrosse has so many great traditions, and Homewood Field is right at the top. What else can you say about that place? It’s the mecca of college lacrosse.”

Evans never imagined he would step onto Homewood Field wearing a helmet and cleats again. The Davidsonville native, who graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2009 with a political science degree, figured all future visits would be as a fan sitting in the stands.

That is why Evans is so excited about tonight’s game against the Atlanta Blaze, which is being played at Homewood Field at 7 p.m. Evans will get one more opportunity to tread the artificial turf on which he spent so much time as an undergraduate.

“I’m really pumped about this game. I’m so glad the Bayhawks worked out this deal with Hopkins,” Evans said. “We didn’t just play games at Homewood, we practiced there ever day as well. As a Hopkins player, that stadium becomes your second home because you are there all the time. I always get chills when I go back because my memories are nothing but great ones.”

Evans remembers dressing in the old locker room located in the Newton White Athletic Center then taking the field through the gate located in the east end zone. For big games, the Blue Jays would enter the stadium underneath the stands at midfield.

“Crowds for lacrosse games at Hopkins are second-to-none in college lacrosse. It’s a very loyal alumni base and there are a lot of diehard fans,” Evans said. “You always have the band going on and that helps give Hopkins a great home-field advantage. I don’t know if the Bayhawks will utilize that same band, but it would be awesome if they did. They could play the Hopkins fight song and the fans could count the number of goals the Bayhawks have scored.”

This is the eighth year of Major League Lacrosse for Evans, who has been a perennial All-Star since being drafted by the Bayhawks with the 18th overall pick in 2009. The 6-foot, 225-pound player has a well-earned reputation as a shutdown defender and has covered such legendary attackmen as John Grant Jr., Brendan Mundorf and Casey Powell.

Evans represented the United States at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships. The South River High graduate was among 11 close defensemen selected by US Lacrosse to try out for the 2018 national team.

Evans currently works full-time for Folger Hill, a Boston-based hedge fund founded by former Johns Hopkins lacrosse player Saul Kumin. The 29-year-old laughed when asked how much longer he’ll play professional lacrosse.

“Until I can’t compete. For now, I still enjoy the competition and feel like I can help my team win,” Evans said. “If I start getting smoked on a regular basis, I’ll think otherwise.”

Evans was a three-time All-American at Johns Hopkins, earning the prestigious Schmeisser Award as the best defenseman in Division I as a senior. Coach Dave Pietramala, a two-time Schmeisser Award winner and arguably the greatest defenseman in Hopkins history, considers Evans one of the finest players he has coached in 17 years at the helm.

“Michael is one of our all-time greats,” said Pietramala, adding that he maintains a “very, very close relationship” with Evans. “To have Michael come back home and step back on Homewood Field again is certainly going to be a special moment for him.”

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