EWING TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- The dream season continues for the surprising Johns Hopkins men's soccer team.
The Blue Jays, who won only three games two seasons ago, pulled within one win of the 1994 NCAA Division III title by upsetting perennial power Trenton State, 1-0, yesterday at Lions Stadium for their 13th straight victory.
Hopkins (17-2-3) will play Bethany (W.Va.) in the championship game here today at 4 p.m.
The signs that Hopkins is a team of destiny were everywhere on a drizzly, raw November afternoon.
Chris Borris, a senior midfielder who had not scored all season, supplied the game-winner on a sensational 30-yard crossing shot with 64:45 elapsed.
"I've been waiting for this a long time," said Borris, who took a pass from freshman Eric West on the right wing and beat leaping goalkeeper Rob Jordan into the upper right corner of the net.
"I never really had anyone on me and I didn't even see the keeper. I just shot it and hoped."
And the Blue Jays showed some of the moxie that has characterized their run through the tournament by withstanding intense offensive pressure from Trenton throughout the first half and again after their goal.
Senior goalkeeper Craig Greenwald was particularly resistant, making two key saves early that kept the Lions from taking command, then gambling for two more when Trenton unleashed a furious attack in the final 20 minutes.
Being able to keep fourth-ranked Trenton (19-2-2) scoreless at the break was a major factor for the 23rd-ranked Blue Jays, who have dumped three top-10 teams on their journey to the final.
"They were killing us in the first half. They really pushed it to us," said Hopkins coach Matt Smith. "They're the most aggressive team we've played. It's what we expected. Fortunately, Craig turned away some shots that kept us in it at the half."
Said Greenwald: "We were happy to be tied at that point. Sometime we'd like to start out strong. But we knew we hadn't played our game yet, so we felt pretty good."
The Lions again dominated during the early minutes of the second half but failed to convert opportunities.
Trenton's best scoring chance in the stretch came when Sean Cox made a nifty centering pass to leading scorer Jason Cairns, who had dead aim on Greenwald but missed wide right.
"I cut off the angle, but he still had a good shot. You get some breaks sometimes," Greenwald said.
Greenwald, who is from Short Hills, N.J., near Newark, said he played at Lions Stadium in the state title game as a junior at Milburn High -- and lost.
"My coach said, 'You'll be back,' meaning the next season in high school," he said. "I didn't make it then, but I have now."
Trenton's women won the national Division III title last weekend in San Diego and the men were seeking to join them to mark only the second time in NCAA history two teams from the same school won soccer crowns in the same year.
The Lions men's team was playing in its sixth straight NCAA tournament and 10th overall; Hopkins was in the field for only the third time.
"I'm disappointed," said Trenton coach Rick Dell. "We did what we felt we had to do to win. Not being able to convert after dominating the first half hasn't been an albatross for us this year, but I guess it was today."
In the opener, Bethany outscored Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 4-2, in a penalty-kick shootout.
The Bison clinched the victory by connecting on four straight attempts, the last by James Zaharako, after 120 scoreless minutes.
Unranked Bethany (15-5-3) was the NCAA runner-up to North Carolina-Greensboro in 1982. No. 5 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which had six more shots and 11 more corner kicks, officially finished with an 18-0-3 record.
Johns Hopkins 0 1 -- 1
Trenton State 0 0 -- 0