Box Score Box Score
LANCASTER, Pa. – A hard-fought clash between two of the nation's top teams resulted in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss for Franklin & Marshall's No. 4 men's soccer team against No. 3 Johns Hopkins in Sunday's Centennial Conference (CC) Championship.
The Diplomats' record fell to 16-3 with the narrow defeat while the Blue Jays improved to 16-2-1.
F&M 's season is expected to carry on into the NCAA Tournament with a hopeful Pool C at-large bid. The First and Second Rounds open on Nov. 16-17. The NCAA selection show will take place on Monday, Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m. and can be viewed on NCAA. com.
Each team came out firing in the opening minutes of the Championship tilt.
Johns Hopkins earned the game's first opportunity with a freekick chance from the left flank in the 12th minute. Liam Creedon decided to go on net with the chance, curving a shot that goalkeeper Christopher Amoruso punched out.
Two minutes later, Dallen Moore rolled a long cross to the middle of the box that was one-timed from Kane Feudtner on net, but the scoring chance was snuffed out by a diving stop.
Feudtner struck first for the Diplomats in the 18th when Carl Friedrich launched a long throw-in that reached the center of the 18-yard box and the head of Feudtner He directed a ball to the bottom left corner of the goal that snuck in for the pivotal 1-0 tally.
The Blue Jays responded in the 32nd to knot the game at 1-1. A Diplomat misplay in their defensive third led to a short through pass into the box and a low shot into the right corner of the net by Jake Kooyman.
Ryan Horan saved a goal with a defensive stop on the line in the final minute of the first half to get the game tied heading into the break.
Following the opening 45 minutes, F&M held a narrow 9-8 edge in shots, while Hopkins led corners at 2-1.
In the 60th, Jack Brandt sent a perfectly-placed cross from 45 yards out into the left side of the box. Alex Lalovic played the ball of this chest before firing a shot into the lower right of the goal for the 2-1 edge.
Two minutes later, Hopkins once again answered to even the score at 2-2. A costly F&M foul in the box led to a corner opportunity that was buried into the lower-left side.
The Blue Jays secured their first lead in the 70th when Kooyman's headed pass found Alejandro Maclean on the left side, who struck with a left-footed shot into the upper right for the eventual game-winner.
A strong final push from the Diplomats' offense nearly resulted in the equalizer but Hopkins held on for the win.
F&M led in shots at 17-13 as well corners at 6-3. Lalovic paced the effort with four shots followed by Feudtner with three.
Amoruso (16-3) suffered the loss in net after registering three saves. Blue Jay goalkeeper Xander Lefevre (16-2-1) claimed the win after a four-save performance.
