The Loyola Greyhounds came up short against Johns Hopkins in the 61st year of the Battle of Charles Street with a last minute, man down goal from Johns Hopkins senior Russell Melendez.
Both teams had to fight through brutal weather to compete in the match. When the soft snow flurries turned to sleet early in the game, the atmosphere became a lot more intense. There were many turnovers throughout the game, and both teams made mistakes such as dropped passes and communication mishaps. This was uncharacteristic of these two often strong teams, and fans speculated that it may have been due to the weather.
“The weather was treacherous, and uncomfortable to sit through. It was cold, and wet, it was truly unpleasant,” viewer Charlie Dinapoli ‘27 said.
The Greyhounds fought through the elements and picked up a lead that was started by sophomore attack Kenan Everhart’s early goal. Two more ensuing goals allowed for the Greyhounds to be up 3-1 in the second quarter.
The Greyhound’s defense stood out in these moments and has improved notably since their first game. After giving up 13 goals to Georgetown in their first game, they have given up less than 10 in the following two against American and now Hopkins. Hopkins’ offense excelled in their first three games, scoring over 10 goals in all of them before the game against Loyola. Greyhound goaltender Max Watkinson ‘26 saved 13 of the 22 shots attempted on goal throughout the game.
The Greyhounds were hot coming out of the half, scoring the first three goals and building up a 6-3 lead.
“I was fired up, I thought we were going to pull off the upset,” student John Goff ‘27 said.
The crowd was very into the game and attempting to wreak havoc for the opposition through loud cheering and heckling. Despite these efforts, Johns Hopkins mounted a third quarter comeback and tied the game at 7-7 going into the fourth quarter.
“I was genuinely nervous; I wanted us to win so bad. We are itching to have that breakthrough win,” fan Quinn Romo ‘27 said.
The Greyhounds scored again late in the fourth with a goal delivered by Luke Murphy ‘26. This put the Hounds up 8-7 with just over five minutes left. Greyhound fans grew increasingly optimistic about the outcome of the game. This was the last goal that the Greyhounds would score, however. A slashing penalty allowed for a man up opportunity for Hopkins. This led to the final Melendez goal. The score, 9-8, Hopkins. This would end up being the final score for the game.
“Devastation, that is the only word that comes to mind,” Greyhound lacrosse fan Riley Cristella said, describing how she felt after watching the game.
The Greyhounds will look to bounce back in their match against Rutgers on Feb. 22 at 12 p.m., their first non-ranked opponent of the year. The game is available for streaming on ESPN+.
