In their first collegiate lacrosse game, Maryland natives and freshmen Amanda Bochniak and Julianna Shearer netted the only two goals in Marquette’s 16-2 loss Saturday afternoon at Homewood Field at Johns Hopkins University.
The Golden Eagles had the upper hand early on as Bochniak scored just 1:27 into the first half. The next 13 minutes would not be nearly as kind, as the squad gave up four goals. Shearer would add a second for Marquette, but the Blue Jays would score six more before the half came to a close.
In the first half, John Hopkins held a 17-7 advantage in shots, while holding a 10-6 edge in ground balls. Marquette’s 2013 most valuable player, sophomore Sarah Preim, kept the Golden Eagles in the game, making seven saves in the first 30 minutes of play. The Blue Jays took a commanding 10-2 lead into the locker room and never looked back.
“We went from being really loose and excited, to a little bit more tense and I think that tension just kind of snowballed for the rest of the game,” coach Meredith Black said. “So we were never able to get back in that state where we’re just playing and not worrying about anything.”
Johns Hopkins would continue to roll, as the team scored six goals in the second half. But it was the Blue Jays’ defense that stole the headlines in the second half as Marquette was held to four shots in the final 30 minutes of the game. Johns Hopkins would score the final 12 goals of the game to clinch the 16-2 victory over the Golden Eagles. The Blue Jays held a 32-11 shot advantage against Marquette for the game, including a 23-6 advantage in shots on goal.
“We forced some opportunities that weren’t very high percentage just because we probably felt a little anxious to get a goal,” said Black.
The Blue Jays displayed what makes them such a perennial force on the college lacrosse landscape. They were led by junior Jen Cook, who scored five of the team’s 16 goals, accumulating seven total points. Senior midfielder Sarah Taylor earned a hat trick, while senior Taylor D’Amore added two goals and four assists in the team’s convincing victory over the Golden Eagles.
“I like that everything we did wrong, which obviously we did a lot of things wrong, are things that we can fix,” said Black. “(Going forward) we’re going to be smarter with the ball, be a little bit more disciplined in how to handle it, and take higher percentage opportunities.”
Marquette is back in action next Tuesday at Northwestern. The Wildcats enter the matchup ranked fourth in the nation.
