Expectations are high for the Hopkins Women’s Soccer team entering the 2016 season after coming off a Centennial Conference Championship. The Blue Jays enter the season projected second in the preseason coaches poll and should remain a strong contender. The team has made the past 11 NCAA Tournaments, a streak they are expected to continue in 2016.
Seniors Ana Bengoechea and Alexa Rangecroft, who served as captains last season, will again lead this year’s team. They are accompanied by classmate Meg Van de Loo, who was Hopkins’ leading scorer in 2015 and a third-team National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American last season. The Blue Jays are also returning a pair of third-team All-Conference members: Senior midfielder Adrienne Johnson and sophomore forward Kristen Hori.
Senior Clara Aranguren and junior Bess Kitzmiller are back as the team’s most experienced goalkeepers entering the season. The pair combined to start 18 games last season and have so far split the duties in net to start off the year.
Hopkins returns an experienced group of defenders, led by senior Katie McEneaney, who started 19 games last season and senior Jessica Moog. Both are amongst the most experienced players on the roster. Likewise, junior Thea Harvey-Brown was on the field in all 20 games last year and scored the team’s lone goal in their loss to Bowdoin College in the NCAA Tournament.
Also returning is junior Hallie Horvath, who tallied two assists in the Centennial Conference playoffs a year ago. The midfield was hard-hit after losing team captain Maryalice McKenna and classmates Alaina Arthur and Issy Berkey, both who were amongst the team leaders in goals scored in 2015.
Senior defenders Bengochea and Johnson will hope to fill this void. They will rely heavily on their Senior classmate Vania Ludman who was amongst the team’s most statistically productive players last year, tallying two goals and four assists. However, a number of rookie players will have the opportunity to fight for critical minutes in the rotation.
Up field, senior attack Meg Van de Loo will carry the team along with sophomore forward Kristen Hori. Van de Loo tallied an impressive 17 goals in 2015 while Hori was able to deliver six goals and a team-leading nine assists of her own accord. Freshmen forward Kristen Nixon will help round out a talented attack that is expected to strike fear in the opposing defense all season long.
The Jays participated in the Shellenberger Classic for their season opener against Lynchburg College. Hopkins took the lead courtesy of Van de Loo in the 67th minute and were able to hold onto the lead until the 89th minute, when Lynchburg netted the late equalizer.
Battling into double-overtime and unable to capitalize on four corner kick opportunities, the Blue Jays settled to tie the match at 1-1. Later, in the second game of the Shellenberger Classic, the Jays bounced back with a resounding 3-0 victory against Roanoke College.
A second half offensive explosion bolstered Hopkins, with goals from Bengoechea, Hori and Morgan at the 53rd, 81st and 90th minutes respectively. Kitzmiller, in her first start of the year, made three saves to earn the shutout.
The Blue Jays are scheduled to play next against the College of New Jersey on Saturday afternoon at the Homewood Field. Kickoff is set to start at 1 p.m.
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