With precious seconds running off the clock in the second overtime of Johns Hopkins' home game against Penn State on Saturday, all eyes were on senior attackman Wells Stanwick, junior attackman Ryan Brown or junior midfielder Connor Reed to see if one of those players would make the key play.
But that honor went to freshman midfielder Joel Tinney, who accepted a pass from Stanwick and bounced the ball from the right point past Nittany Lions redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Connor Darcey with seven seconds remaining to power the Blue Jays (5-6 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten) to an 11-10 win.
After the contest, Tinney credited Stanwick for dodging and drawing a slide that provided Tinney with room to shoot, but Stanwick returned the favor and praised Tinney for his game-winning shot.
"Joel is a really good player, and you know that if he's got a good matchup, he's going to make something happen," Stanwick said.
Coach Dave Pietramala said he and offensive coordinator Bobby Benson have admired Tinney's competitive nature.
"It takes a lot of guts in that position," Pietramala said. "He got the ball from Wells, and he didn't hesitate one second. He just let that thing go, and I think part of that is the confidence that Coach Benson has shown in him. He had a play in the game where he faked a behind-the-back pass. I think Bobby has done a very good job of allowing Joel some freedom while keeping him within the framework of the offense and utilizing his skills and talents. To Joel's credit, he's a guy who wants to be in the fire when it's at its hottest. That's one of the reasons why we recruited him and it's one of the reasons why he runs on the first midfield as a freshman."
Tinney ranks second on Johns Hopkins in goals (15) and fourth in points (23), but he also plays on the wings on faceoffs (third in ground balls with 24) and in the midfield on defense (tied for third in caused turnovers with seven).
Pietramala said Tinney's desire to be involved in as many facets of the team as he can be is refreshing and began in a 13-11 loss at North Carolina on Feb. 21.
"As the game went on and things got very close and tight, he'd be out taking an offensive run and we'd score a goal and he'd wave over pointing to the wing, saying, 'I want to take the wing,'" Pietramala said. "Those are the kinds of guys you want. You want guys that want to be on the field at the most critical moments, and Joel is a guy who wants to be in those pressure situations."