Preview: No. 15 Johns Hopkins at No. 5 Georgetown

After an opening weekend marred by nationwide frigid temperatures, this Saturday will see one of the best games yet in the young NCAA men’s lacrosse season.

No. 15 Johns Hopkins will travel to Washington, D.C. for a high-stakes matchup with No. 5 Georgetown.

The Blue Jays started their season off strong, taking down Robert Morris. Johns Hopkins cruised their way to a 17-2 victory over the Colonials, largely due to attackman Hunter Chauvette and midfielder Matt Collison, who combined for 11 goals.

Collison and Chauvette led the team in points last season, with the former recording 33 and the latter putting up 31.

Last year, the Blue Jays went 6-8 in what was a down year for the program. In 2024, they made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where they were eliminated by Virginia.

The loss of star attackman Russell Melendez to Ohio State didn’t seem to have too much of an effect in the win over Robert Morris, but it could become more detrimental later in the season. It’ll certainly make for some awkwardness when the Buckeyes host the Blue Jays on April 11.

Melendez played just seven games last season due to an injury, but recorded 23 points in that shortened season.

Georgetown’s first game against Loyola was postponed due to weather, meaning the matchup with Johns Hopkins will be their season opener.

The Hoyas went 12-5 last year, and 4-1 in Big East play. They beat No. 6 Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to national runner-up No. 3 Maryland.

Two graduate students, Aidan Carroll and Fulton Bayman, led the Hoyas with 77 and 63 points, respectively, last season. With them out of the picture, sophomore Jack Ransom will be the most productive returner with 36 points.

Georgetown enters the matchup as a -270 favorite, with Johns Hopkins being a +2.5 goal underdog.

With Hopkins playing last weekend and Georgetown still to get its season underway, the Hoyas’ season-opening rust could give the already-acclimated Blue Jays the chance to pull off an upset.

Elliott Inscho is a first-year studying digital and print journalism. To contact him, email eli5026@psu.edu