Notre Dame Pulls Away From Johns Hopkins To Reach Championship Weekend

The season came to an end for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men’s lacrosse on Saturday afternoon after a strong second-half surge lifted the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse to a 15-9 victory in the NCAA quarterfinals at Hofstra University.

Johns Hopkins entered the matchup with momentum after an emotional overtime victory against Cornell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, but the defending powerhouse from Notre Dame showed exactly why many still consider the Irish one of the favorites to win another national championship. Notre Dame outscored the Blue Jays 9-3 after halftime and completely controlled the pace during the final two quarters.

The loss closed the season for Johns Hopkins at 10-6, while Notre Dame improved to 12-2 and advanced to Championship Weekend for the third time in four years.

Early in the game, Hopkins looked ready to pull another postseason upset.

The Blue Jays matched Notre Dame possession for possession during the opening half. Strong defensive rotations, physical play between the restraining lines and solid goaltending kept the game tied 6-6 at halftime. Hopkins received goals from multiple offensive contributors while continuing the balanced scoring approach that fueled the late-season run.

Momentum shifted dramatically during the third quarter.

Notre Dame began winning faceoffs consistently and used transition opportunities to create high-quality shots against the Hopkins defense. The Irish attack unit moved the ball with precision while forcing Johns Hopkins defenders into difficult slides throughout the middle of the field.

Josh Yago delivered one of the best performances of the NCAA Tournament so far. The Notre Dame standout finished with seven points on four goals and three assists while helping orchestrate the second-half offensive explosion. Matt Jeffery added five points and the Irish consistently found production from nearly every offensive set they ran.

Hopkins simply could not slow the avalanche once Notre Dame found rhythm offensively.

The Blue Jays struggled at the faceoff stripe during the second half as Notre Dame specialist Tyler Spano controlled possessions and created additional opportunities for the Irish offense. Extra possessions turned into extended defensive sequences for Hopkins, and fatigue began showing late in the third quarter.

Several costly turnovers also hurt the Blue Jays during the decisive stretch. Notre Dame capitalized quickly in transition and pushed the lead out of reach before Hopkins could respond.

Despite the loss, the season still represented a major step forward for Johns Hopkins under head coach Peter Milliman.

The Blue Jays won a share of the Big Ten regular season title earlier this spring after defeating Maryland in one of the biggest wins of the season. Hopkins also returned to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in four years and continued proving the program belongs among the elite teams in college lacrosse.

Senior leadership and defensive toughness became defining traits for the Blue Jays throughout the season. Hopkins consistently won close games and battled through one of the toughest schedules in the country. The overtime NCAA Tournament victory against Cornell showed the resilience this roster carried throughout the year.

Notre Dame now moves on to face Syracuse in the national semifinals after another dominant NCAA Tournament performance. The Irish continue building one of the strongest modern dynasties in college lacrosse after winning recent national championships and once again reaching Championship Weekend.

For Hopkins, Saturday’s defeat stings because the opportunity felt real.

The Blue Jays stood toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s best teams for an entire half before Notre Dame’s depth, faceoff dominance and offensive efficiency eventually took over the game. Another NCAA Tournament appearance, another quarterfinal run and another reminder that Johns Hopkins lacrosse continues trending upward heading into 2027.