Nov. 13, 2008
ITHACA, NY - Senior Nick Gauna's (Evanston, IL/Evanston) golden goal in the 96th minute propelled Johns Hopkins to a 1-0 win over #23 Ithaca on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Jays improve to 13-5-3 on the season and will take on the #2 York Spartans in the second round. The Bombers end their season at 11-5-3.
Play was even in the first half on a blustery day at Carp Wood Field, but the Bombers held a 5-4 edge in shots. Junior goalie Matt Mierley (Weston, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas) made two saves in the first half for the Blue Jays. The second half was a different story as Hopkins outshot Ithaca 10-3 and had seven corners to none for the Bombers. But this time it was Ithaca goalie Andy Wilhelm with two saves to keep things even and force overtime.
Hopkins took two shots in the overtime and it was the second that counted. Sophomore Chris Wilson (Bel Air, MD/John Carroll) dribbled down the right touchline and into the box, where he played a nice ball across the six-yard box just past Wilhelm. Gauna, playing just inside his defender, slid and touched the ball into the back of the net with the bottom of his cleat. It was his 29th career goal, moving him into a tie for eighth in program history.
Mierley finished with three saves in posting his seventh shutout of the season and the 11th of his career. Wilhelm finished with four saves for the Bombers. Hopkins, making its 12th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, improves to 12-12-2 all-time in the NCAA. The Blue Jays are now 4-3-2 in overtime games in the NCAA Tournament.
Hopkins and York will face off in the second round on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1:00 pm in York, PA. The Blue Jays and the Spartans met in the regular season, with York winning 1-0 on Sept. 10. Sunday's game will be the first ever meeting between the two schools in the NCAA Tournament.
