When Coach Tim McCormack gathered his Johns Hopkins women’s lacrosse team back in August, he knew the journey would be long. Now, that journey is looking brighter than ever.
The No. 4 seed Blue Jays delivered a commanding performance Sunday afternoon, using an 8-3 run over the final 23 minutes to seal a 21-13 victory over Army West Point in the NCAA Tournament second round. With an announced crowd of 484 at Homewood Field in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins (16-4) not only set a new Division I program record for wins in a season—tying the mark set in 1994 when the team competed at Division III—but also punched their ticket to the quarterfinals for just the second time in program history, and the first since 2007.
That 2007 squad fell to Duke, but this year’s team is determined to write a different ending. Freshman attacker Paige Willard summed up the mindset perfectly: "Growing up, you dream of these moments. Everyone just wants to win for each other."
The Blue Jays will host the quarterfinal round on Thursday against No. 5 seed Stony Brook, a team that just edged out 2021 and 2024 national champion Boston College, 10-9. The Seawolves are on a 15-game winning streak and sit at 19-2, so the challenge is clear.
Junior midfielder Lacey Downey knows exactly what’s at stake, especially for the senior class. "We went out there knowing we had to win to have more days with this group," she said. "We love our seniors, but if we lose, they’re gone. So we just have to keep winning."
The offense continues to be the engine driving this team. With 21 goals against Albany in Friday’s first round and another 20-plus against Army, Johns Hopkins became only the second program in NCAA Tournament history to score 20 or more goals in consecutive games—joining Boston College, who accomplished the feat in 2017, 2021, and 2024.
Senior attacker Ava Angello is making history of her own. She led all scorers with six goals, continuing her climb in the Blue Jays' record book. Already the program's Division I leader for goals in a single season with 74, she is now just three goals shy of Rebecca Savage's all-time mark of 77 set in 1994, and only two away from matching the school's single-season record across all divisions.
For fans of the game, this is a team worth watching—and the gear to match their championship run is a must-have for any lacrosse enthusiast.