No. 7 Maryland Falls In 9-8 Bout With No. 12 Johns Hopkins

Saturday, April 18

Baltimore, MD

2 PM

Maryland

6-5, 3-2B1G

Johns Hopkins

8-4, 3-2B1G

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
MARYLAND	2	0	2	4	8
Johns Hopkins	2	3	1	3	9

Maryland Celebrates a Goal Against Johns Hopkins

No. 7 Maryland Falls In 9-8 Bout With No. 12 Johns Hopkins

4/18/2026 2:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery

Brian Ruppel made 12 saves in the 120th all-time contest between the Terps and Blue Jays.

BALTIMORE, MD — The No. 7 Terps battled No. 12 Johns Hopkins for the 120th time on Saturday afternoon, but the Blue Jays came away with the 9-8 win despite 12 saves from Brian Ruppel in goal. Maryland fell to 6-5 (3-2 Big Ten) after the defensive bout and looks to take its Big Ten Championship mojo into the Big Ten Tournament next weekend.

The first quarter of the rivalry clash featured twice as many saves than goals. Zach Whittier and Leo Johnson both scored to get the Terps' scoring started while Ruppel made a quartet of key saves in the initial frame. Johnson finished with a hat trick after netting a pair of goals in the Terps' four-goal fourth quarter.

Aitken to Johnson!#BeTheBest pic.twitter.com/s1Tj678rqr
— Maryland Men's Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax) April 18, 2026

Ruppel finished with 12 saves. Chris Lyons, AJ Larkin, Eric Spanos, and Elijah Stobaugh all added goals to their respective season totals, but a 3-0 run from the Blue Jays in the second quarter created a hole the Terps were unable to work out of.

Spanos gets on the board early in the fourth!#BeTheBest pic.twitter.com/iCFPeEzuCf
— Maryland Men's Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax) April 18, 2026

Henry Dodge and Jonah Carrier helped the Terps go 13-21 on faceoffs. Johns Hopkins improved to 8-4 (3-2 Big Ten) with the win. Maryland will be the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will host No. 6-seeded Rutgers next weekend in College Park.

How It Happened:
1st Quarter:

Ruppel made three saves before Johns Hopkins opened the scoring eight minutes into the quarter.
Whittier followed the Blue Jays' second goal with his ninth of the season to get the Terps on the board.
Johnson scored in the final minute of the quarter to send the teams into the second frame tied at 2-2.

2nd Quarter:

Johns Hopkins opened the second quarter with three straight goals to take a 5-2 lead.
Ruppel made four more saves, but the Blue Jays held Maryland off the board in the second quarter to lead 5-2 at halftime.

3rd Quarter:

Larkin's sixth goal of the season opened the second half.
Ruppel reached double-digit saves midway through the frame.
The Blue Jays took a 6-3 lead with six minutes left in the quarter.
Maryland quickly responded with a Lyons goal to work back within two.
Johns Hopkins took a 6-4 lead into the final 15 minutes of action.

4th Quarter:

Spanos opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with his 20th goal of the season to bring Maryland within a goal.
The Blue Jays reclaimed a two-goal lead with 12:41 to play.
JSU added another goal with over eight minutes to play.
Stobaugh quickly responded with his 13th of the season.
Johnson's second goal of the day made it a one-goal game.
The Blue Jays scored with 2:28.
Johnson's third goal of the game made it a one-goal game with under a minute to play.

Up Next:

Maryland gets postseason play started in the Big Ten Tournament. As the No. 3 seed, the Terps will host the No. 6 seed Rutgers on Apr. 25. The time is yet to be determined, but the game will air on BTN.