The Basics
• Score: #3 Johns Hopkins-3, #4 Franklin & Marshall-2
• Records: JHU (16-2-1) • FMC (16-3)
• Location: Lancaster, PA • Tylus Field
• The Short Story:   The third-ranked Johns Hopkins men's soccer team erased a pair of one-goal deficits to score a 3-2 come-from-behind win over fourth-ranked Franklin & Marshall in the Centennial Conference Championship game at Tylus Field Sunday afternoon.  The win secures the Centennial's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament for the Blue Jays.
 
How it Happened
• Tied 1-1 coming out of halftime, the Blue Jays found themselves down 2-1 just 15 minutes into the second half as Alex Lalovic took a perfect pass from Jack Brandt on the back side of the box and he calmly drilled a shot from 12 yards out inside the near post to give the Diplomats a one-goal lead.
•  The one-goal lead didn't last long – less than two minutes to be exact – as the Blue Jays got the equalizer 91 seconds later when Liam Creedon converted a penalty kick after Pablo Martinez was taken down in the box on a free kick.
•  Just under eight minutes later, the Blue Jays grabbed a 3-2 lead that would stand up as Alejandro Maclean was sent through on a perfect heading lead pass by Jake Kooyman at midfield; Maclean held off a defender on his inside shoulder for nearly 20 yards and ripped a left-footer from the top of the box into the corner after F&M goalie Chris Amoruso came off his line.
•  The Diplomats pressed in the final 20 minutes with their best chance a hard-struck 10-yarder by Lalovic that Blue Jay goalie Xander LeFevre turned away in the middle of the goal and a shot from straight on in the final 90 seconds that floated just over the crossbar.
• The opening 45 minutes solved nothing as the teams battled to the 1-1 tie in the opening half.  Both teams had early chances with a Diplomat free kick in the eighth minute sitting loose on the doorstep before LeFever controlled it, while the Blue Jays responded with a Creedon free kick from a tough angle that Amoruso handled.
•  F&M struck first just two minutes after Creedon's free kick as sophomore Carl Friedrich's long throw-in found the head of 6-foot-4 forward Kane Feudtner and Feudtner flicked one to the open far post to give the Diplomats a 1-0 lead.
•  That score held for nearly 15 minutes before the Blue Jays used a quick transition opportunity to draw even.  After coming on just minutes before, senior Achim Younker and Kooyman teamed for the equalizer.  Younker controlled a long through-ball in the middle of the field and threaded a pass between two defenders to Kooyman just inside the box and Kooyman picked the near post to make it 1-1.
•  The Blue Jays had two golden opportunities to grab the lead in the final 10 minutes of the half as Younker missed an open net when he struck a bouncing ball just wide from 12 yards out in the 35^th minute and Brian Lenzer's 15-yard laser to the far post was kept out by F&M defender Ryan Horan, who was perfectly placed on the post after the play started with a Blue Jay corner.
 
What it Means
• Johns Hopkins claims its ninth Centennial Conference title and first since 2009.  The title is the second for the Blue Jays under head coach Craig Appleby.
• Of the nine CC titles the Blue Jays have won, six have come since the league went to a tournament-determined champion in 2001.  The first three were won when the league champion was determined by the regular season standings.
• Johns Hopkins will be making its 17^th NCAA Tournament appearance, including its third straight and fifth under Appleby.
•  This was the 12^th straight Centennial Conference Championship game that was decided by one goal or in penalty kicks.
• Hopkins improves to 42-25-8 all-time against Franklin & Marshall.
 
Inside the Box Score
• Franklin & Marshall had a 17-13 advantage in shots and an 6-3 edge in corners.
• Kooyman finished with the one goal and one assist.  He had one goal and no assists in his career prior to today.
 
Up Next
• Johns Hopkins will next play in the NCAA Tournament and will learn the date, time and location of that game when the bracket is announced on Monday at 1:30 pm.