Hopkins is joining the Big Ten, not the Big East, but that won't keep Villanova from bringing its lacrosse program to JHU's home, Homewood Field, in Baltimore. The storied program announced today that they would add Villanova and Ohio State to their 2014 schedule.
The moves end the Blue Jays' current series' with both Siena and Army, and locks up the 2014 schedule for Hopkins. Villanova's trip to Baltimore will be a late-season midweek game, according to the Jays' release.
Villanova has played Hopkins before, with six meetings between 1997 and 2002, but they were winless in all six attempts. Their last meeting in 2002 was a 10-7 decision in favor of JHU. Since then, the Villanova program has been on the rise, making a few recent NCAA Tournament appearances and earning a share of the 2013 Big East regular season title. The 'Cats finished the 2013 season ranked 20th in the USILA Coaches Poll, and unranked in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
In 2013, the Blue Jays missed the NCAA postseason for the first time since the inaugural edition -- 42 years ago. They finished the season with a 9-5 record. They hold 44 national titles in the sport, including nine NCAA Division I titles, and 35 titles from the pre-NCAA Tournament era. They represented the United State at the 1928 Summer Olympics and 1932 Summer Olympics, when Lacrosse was included as a demonstration sport.