The Basics
• Score: #6 Johns Hopkins-2, #7 Franklin & Marshall-1
• Records: JHU (17-2) • FMC (16-3)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Homewood Field
• The Short Story: The sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins field hockey team won its second consecutive Centennial Conference title on Saturday afternoon at Homewood Field as the Blue Jays topped seventh-ranked Franklin & Marshall, 2-1.
 
How it Happened
• It didn't take long – 122 seconds to be exact – for the Blue Jays to grab a lead they would never relinquish as junior Michaela Corvi broke free near midfield, held off a defender on her inside shoulder and fired a shot inside the far post past Diplomat goalie Christina Seery to stake Johns Hopkins to an early 1-0 lead.
• The Blue Jays had a golden opportunity to push the lead to 2-0 with just over three minutes remaining in the opening quarter as a scramble eight yards in front of the cage found Maddie Brown-Scherer alone and she ripped one towards an open net, but Seery made a stunning stick save to keep the Diplomats within a goal.
• Seery made back-to-back saves on Brown-Scherer early in the third quarter, including a pad-save on a tough angle shot, and Hopkins' Kaitlin Hall stopped an Erin Coverdale offering a short time later to keep it 1-0.
•  The Blue Jays got the insurance goal they would need in the final minute of the third quarter as an F&M foul drew a penalty stroke for the Blue Jays that senior Katie McErlean converted with just 37 seconds left in the period to give Johns Hopkins a 2-0 lead.
•  The two-goal lead was cut in half just 6:20 into the fourth quarter when Coverdale ripped one home off a corner for the Diplomats; Addie Peters sent in a perfect insert to the top of the circle and Coverdale had time and room to draw F&M within one.
•  F&M pressured down the stretch and outshot the Blue Jays 3-0 in the final period, but none of those attempts were on the cage.
 
What it Means
• Johns Hopkins' second straight title gives the Blue Jays six overall Centennial Conference titles since the league was formed in 1993; it is JHU's fourth tournament title (2000, 2003, 2018, 2019).
•  The Blue Jays earn the Centennial's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament.  The bracket for the tournament will be announced late Sunday night (November 10).
• Hopkins improves to 26-15-1 all-time against Franklin & Marshall and has won the last three meetings.
• The Blue Jays' 17 wins are tied for the second-highest single-season total in school history and this is the fourth time Johns Hopkins has won 17 or more games in a season.
 
Inside the Box Score
• F&M held an 11-7 advantage in shots and a decisive 8-1 margin in penalty corners.
• Hall made one save to pick up the victory in goal; she is now 14-1 on the year.
• Seery posted four saves in goal for the Diplomats, including three in the third quarter.
 
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 late Sunday night.