Bailey Cheetham called game.
In a seesaw game that was virtually even in most team statistical categories, Johns Hopkins got an overtime winner from Cheetham to upset Michigan in the Big Ten quarterfinals Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Cheetham, who dodged from goal-line extended and beat Erin O’Grady while being swarmed by a team of Michigan defenders, led Hopkins with five points (one goal, four assists).
The Blue Jays, ranked No. 13 in the USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20, play top-seeded Northwestern on Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern in the conference semifinals. No. 7 Michigan awaits its fate on Selection Sunday.
Johns Hopkins scored the game’s first four games and seven of the first eight, and while that 7-1 lead roughly halfway through the third quarter looked promising, Michigan quickly awakened to erase the deficit.
Five different scorers — Jill Smith, Jane Fetterolf, Ava Class, Kaylee Dyer and Julia Schwabe — deposited goals in a 5-0 run that cut the deficit to 7-6. After Ava Angello and Ashley Mackin scored to push the Hopkins lead to 9-6, Michigan scored three times in the final 2:18 of regulation to send it to overtime.
Michigan won the opening draw of overtime, and after a foul on Kacie Riggs, Katharine Merrifield earned a free position chance. Her shot went high, and Michigan turned it over via a shot clock violation. That led Hopkins’ game-winning possession.
The other Big Ten semifinal will be Penn State against Rutgers on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Rutgers delivered the early shocker of postseason play, downing Maryland 9-8 in College Park. Chrissy Thomas assisted Victoria Hensh for a 7-6 Terps lead early in the fourth quarter, but Payton Tini, Ava Kane and Lily Dixon scored the next three goals for Rutgers for a 9-7 lead.
Eloise Clevenger fed Hannah Leubecker to make it 9-8 with 2:14 to play. With the Terps continuing to threaten, Sophia Cardello made two saves in the final 28 seconds to preserve Rutgers’ upset victory.
Penn State exacted a bit of revenge on Ohio State with a 15-13 win after the Buckeyes clipped the Nittany Lions by a goal on March 28. A five-goal fourth-quarter run was the difference for Penn State, which was led by four goals apiece from both Gretchen Gilmore and Emma Kelly. Kayla Abernathy controlled 13 draws.