A strong offensive start and a lockdown performance by the Jays gave the #19 ranked Hopkins women’s lacrosse team their seventh win of the season as they took down the Hofstra University Pride this past Saturday in Hempstead, New York.
Freshman midfielder Lexi Souder quickly gave the Blue Jays the early momentum, capitalizing on a pass from sophomore Nicole DeMase and burying a goal only 1:37 into the contest.
The two would switch places just eight minutes later, however, as DeMase would tally a goal of her own off of a pass from Souder after a nifty fake.
The momentum would continue to build for the Jays as sophomore Miranda Ibello took only 19 seconds to put two shots into the back of the net and extend the lead from 2-0 to 4-0 in favor of Hopkins with assists coming from freshman Maggie Schneidereith and DeMase.
Schneidereith would net the fifth straight unanswered goal for Hopkins after a pass from junior Shannon Fitzgerald.
Hofstra’s midfielder Alyssa Parrella would end the scoring drought for the Pride after converting on a free position shot just 54 seconds after the Jays had extended their lead to five. The lead would quickly jump back to five after DeMase once again scored for Hopkins to put the score at 6-1 in favor of the visiting Jays to end the first half.
Hopkins continued to dominate the offensive side of the game into the second half, scoring two goals just 10 seconds apart in the opening minute of the second.
Schneidereith would earn another assist when she passed to senior Alexis Maffucci, who buried a quick shot into the net. Fitzgerald then capitalized off of a Souder draw win, finding Schneidereith in space, who fired a laser on the right post to bring the lead to 8-1.
Hofstra’s Parrella ended the second scoring drought for the Pride when she scored her second goal of the day.
The Blue Jays responded quickly, however, as DeMase recorded her fourth hat trick of the young season with her third goal of the day, and Schneidereith tallied yet another assist, this time to freshman Eva Klaus, who buried a goal on the run just 14 seconds after DeMase’s rip.
Klaus would score once again just five minutes later to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to nine before a goal from Fitzgerald six minutes later, giving Hopkins a 10-goal lead.
Hofstra’s Carlee Ancona and Drew Shapiro would both score in the final minutes of the matchup to finish up the game at 12-4 in favor of the Jays.
The victory for Hopkins is the 199th since the Jays made the jump to D-I in 1999. The strong defensive outing, highlighted by allowing Hofstra only four goals on the day, is the fewest goals the Jays have allowed in a single game since the Mar. 26, 2016 matchup against Furman University.
Schneidereith’s three assists and Fitzgerald’s two assists matched their career highs in what was a standout offensive performance.
The Blue Jays will take the field again next Sunday, March 19. They will travel to College Park, Md. to take on the top-ranked University of Maryland Terrapins.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.