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Defense prevailed in the Battle of Charles Street on Saturday.

For the third straight year and fifth time in seven years, Johns Hopkins downed a potent Loyola side, which was ranked 12th in the Nike/US Lacrosse rankings coming into the game. For coach Janine Tucker and company, it was a balanced mix of stingy defense, efficient offense and ball possession that turned a 5-2 deficit into a two-goal victory.

“What was clicking was our defense getting tremendous stops and putting the ball away offensively,” Tucker said. “I think we always have very spirited games against Loyola. We love to play them. They’re well coached and very talented. It was a classic game of plugging away. They jumped on us early and we had to grind it out.”

An 8-2 run to end the first half did the trick for the newly ranked No. 16 Blue Jays (2-0). Igniting that run was sophomore Shelby Harrison, who became an offensive revelation by scoring three of her career-high four goals in that stretch.

“What was cool about her is although she played a lot last year as a freshman,” Tucker noted. “She didn’t find herself offensively until this fall. She’s been growing and maturing. Her goals came at times when we really needed them and she was excited to spark our offense.”

Harrison was aided by senior Maggie Schneidereith who brings a unique look to the field while tossing in three goals and an assist.

“She’s absolutely outstanding,” Tucker beamed. “She’s a strong lefty. She has grown into a multidimensional player. She has a complete game. Her leadership and experience has really helped her come into her own…She’s a player that’s worked very hard on her game and gives us something dangerous as a lefty.”

While Johns Hopkins owned a 10-7 advantage at the break, Tucker knew a shootout with the Greyhounds was a dangerous game to play. The Blue Jays employed a face guard on Loyola star Livy Rosenzweig (1g, 1a) in attempt to slow the ‘Hounds down.

“Haley Reitz was face guarding to make it difficult for her,” Tucker said. “Our goal was to try and disrupt her and their offense. I think that we knew that Hannah Powers and Taylor VanThof were going to try and step up, so we tried to stick with our matchups to keep them off base.”

Tucker credited her transition defense in stifling Loyola’s comeback. The Greyhounds went on a 3-1 burst to open the second half to pull within a goal, but Hopkins held firm, allowing only one goal over the last 25:45.

“Coach Tara Singleton was putting different defensive sets together,” Tucker noted. “We were able to get the ball turned over and cleared. Our ride really helped.”

This was especially crucial given that VanThof, who Tucker called “outstanding,” and the Greyhounds owned the draw control battle, 18-8. VanThof pulled down nine controls of her own, while Powers nabbed five.

It was one of the few glaring weaknesses for a Blue Jay program that has found the success in the series against Loyola. Under Tucker, Johns Hopkins is 5-3 in the series. Last season’s victory over Loyola was the driving force behind a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Now, the Blue Jays are increasingly focused on turning last year’s one-goal losses into victories so as to avoid the bubble discussion again.

“We lost five games by one goal last year and we really needed to learn from that,” Tucker said. “That win last year was the difference maker for us, no doubt, but it’s still not good enough. To be honest, it fuels us more to capture some of these big games coming up.”

Before a difficult Big Ten schedule ratchets up in March, the Blue Jays must contend with one of those five one-goal losses from last year: No. 6 Penn on Saturday.

“Loyola is behind us, now it’s back to doing us,” said Tucker. “To have a week to prepare for teams like Loyola and Penn and breaking down film helps. Penn was one of those tight games last year, so we take some confidence from that. In the end, it’s focusing on us and what we do.”

Sailer Grabs Win No. 400

No. 10 Princeton cruised by Temple, 16-7, to notch Chris Sailer’s 400th career victory. Sailer became the first Division I coach to reach the 400-win mark at a single school. She joined Navy’s Cindy Timchal in the Division I women’s ranks for in the 400-win club. The National Lacrosse Hall of Famer is now 400-158 in 33 seasons.  

Northwestern Calls Blackjack

The No. 7 Wildcats are very consistent: 21 goals per game. Northwestern had to score the final three goals in the last 3:32 of regulation for a thrilling 21-20 win over Duke. The Wildcats have scored exactly 21 goals in their first three games. Conversely, NU has given up over 15 goals per game heading into a top-10 matchup with Syracuse on Sunday. Selena Lasota, who scored two goals in Friday night's win over Dartmouth, did not play on Sunday against Duke after suffering a lower body injury in the first half on Friday, according to The Daily Northwestern.

Denver Impressive Again

There was no hangover for the Pioneers after their win over Bay Area sweep as Denver pummeled Louisville, 18-2. Denver scored the game’s first 13 goals and is now holding opponents to 4.3 goals per game. Stony Brook visits on Sunday for an intriguing matchup.

Fresno State Matches Program Best Start

The Fresno State Bulldogs are 3-0 for just the second time in program history after a dominating 18-10 win over Oregon in Las Vegas. FSU opened a 12-3 advantage at halftime en route to securing a second straight win over a Pac-12 side. Tiffiny Wallace posted an eight-point game (4g, 4a). The Bulldogs put their unblemished record to the test on Thursday at No. 19 Stanford.

Michigan 4-0 for First Time

The Wolverines are off to a program-best 4-0 start with an 11-10 double-overtime win over Dartmouth on Sunday. Mira Shane stopped 16 Big Green shots and Molly Garrett scored the game-winner in the extra session after Dartmouth scored the final three in regulation to force OT. A Rocky Mountain road trip to No. 15 Colorado and No. 12 Denver awaits the Wolverines.

Bearcats Barnstorm Marquette

Cincinnati (2-1) out-dueled former Big East foe Marquette, 22-18, on Friday. The Bearcats scored 19 or more goals in back-to-back games for the first time in program history. Five Bearcats notched five-point games led by Taylor Gysin’s eight on six goals and two assists.