EWING TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Johns Hopkins' improbable march through the NCAA men's soccer tournament fell just short of the Division III championship yesterday.
Unranked Bethany (W.Va.) College spoiled the ending of the Blue Jays' storybook season, breaking a scoreless tie after 107 minutes to win the 1994 championship, 1-0, before 747 at Trenton State's Lions Stadium.
The goal by Pat Ricci, off a perfect crossing pass from Steve Lindquist, came 2:01 into a second 15-minute overtime period.
Hopkins goalkeeper Craig Greenwald never had a chance on the play when Ricci fired a low blazer past his left side to give the Bison their first NCAA title in their 13th tournament appearance.
"He just put in a beautiful goal," said Greenwald, a senior who sat despondently on his hands and knees in the center of the field for several minutes after the loss.
"They [Bethany] were on a counterattack with three [players] up. Somebody didn't get back fast enough. You're not disappointed as a goalkeeper that you gave up one like that."
fTC Hopkins (17-3-3) had sufficient time to tie the game, but, as was the case all day, couldn't get anything past Bison keeper Malleh Sallah, one of five natives of Gambia on the Bethany roster.
The best opportunity went to freshman Eric West, who had a one-on-one break with about five minutes left. But Sallah ranged far out of the goal to reduce West's angle, and absorbed the shot in his chest.
"I felt I got a good shot," said West, who had only three attempts yesterday. "But he [Sallah] was fantastic the entire game.
"Their defense was not as tight as those I've faced the last five or six games. But with that keeper, they didn't need to be. Many saves he made normally are goals. The defense was pretty much him."
The Blue Jays were more aggressive than Bethany for most of the game, and coach Matt Smith said his team "played a little better" than it had Friday when it eliminated host Trenton State, 1-0.
"We were still a little nervous but I thought we outplayed them and we certainly had our chances," said the second-year coach, whose young team beat three top 10 opponents en route to the final.
"But the stats don't mean anything. The gravy is the goal, and we didn't get it."
Hopkins had about 150 fans who made the drive from Baltimore to back their team. They waved an American flag and chanted "U.S.A., U.S.A." at one point, a dig at the nine foreign players (five from Gambia) on the Bethany roster.
Even Smith made a reference to the Bison recruitment, calling the match "our first international game."
He said Hopkins hopes to be back in a similar position next season although "I won't go to Gambia to recruit. We lose some key players [including, most likely, Greenwald], but we hope to fill in the gaps. Unfortunately, everybody will be shooting for us now."
Sallah, a senior, had his 12th shutout of the year for Bethany
(15-5-4) and the 31st of his career.
Bethany coach John Cunningham said his team "just played with incredible heart. This will be something the guys will remember for the rest of their lives."
It was a distressing finish to an incredible season for the Blue Jays, who won only three games two years ago.
"It's very disappointing to get this far and lose," said West. "But when we reflect on it later, this will be a good memory. We were predicted to do nothing, and here we are almost at the top."