LANCASTER, Pa. - In a highly-contested battle between two of the top teams in the Centennial Conference (CC), the Franklin & Marshall men's soccer team fell just short with a 2-1 overtime loss to visiting Johns Hopkins on a rainy Saturday night at Tylus Field. The Diplomats lose for the first time at home and drop to 5-3-1 (2-2 CC) with the loss, while the Blue Jays move to 5-2-3 (3-0-1 CC).

JHU struck first in the 12th minute as Nick White slipped behind the F&M defense off a feed from Rob Hueler. White took the pass from Hueler about 15 yards out, found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Zach Fernberger and slotted the ball to the lower left corner for a 1-0 Hopkins lead.

With the rain increasing in intensity as the contest wore on, the Diplomats were forced to play catch-up in less than ideal conditions. Hopkins was able to hold its 1-0 advantage for the ensuing 63 minutes following its score by effectively playing behind the ball and consistently sending long-range clearances deep into F&M territory.

In the 75th minute, the Diplomats finally broke through the tough JHU defense as Jacob Miller notched his first goal of the year to knot the count at 1-1. Alex Grassi played a corner kick into the mix in front of net, where the ball bounced around and touched several players feet before Miller was able to touch it home from inside the six-yard box.

The two sides were unable to create any dangerous opportunities throughout the remainder of regulation and headed to overtime. After over five minutes without a shot from either side in the extra session, JHU's Sean Coleman buried the dagger in F&M. Coleman, off a dish from Hueler, dribbled down the left side and uncorked a low skidder that bounced past the reach of Fernberger and into the far corner and the Blue Jays walked away with the victory. 

Fernberger tallied three saves in net in the loss for the Diplomats, while Nick Cerrone was forced to make zero saves and picked up the victory for the Blue Jays.

F&M returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 5 with a home non-conference matchup against Elizabethtown at 7:00 pm.

 Johns Hopkins (5-2-3, 3-0-1 CC) vs. Franklin & Marshall (5-3-1, 2-2 CC)

 Goals by period       1  2 OT  Tot
 ----------------------------------
 Johns Hopkins.......  1  0  1 -  2
 Franklin & Marshall.  0  1  0 -  1
 
 SCORING SUMMARY:
  1.  11:10 JHUM Nick White (1) (Rob Heuler) - one one one with gk low shot to far post
  2.  74:41 F&M Jacob Miller (1) Corner kick - loose ball in front of goal in 6 yard box
  3.  95:51 JHUM Sean Coleman (3) (Rob Heuler) - far post from 15 yards out on left

 Shots: Johns Hopkins 7, Franklin & Marshall 5
 Saves: Johns Hopkins 0 (), Franklin & Marshall 3 (Zach Fernberger 3)