Field hockey has best season start since 2009

The Hopkins field hockey team clinched a victory last Saturday against the Washington College Shorewomen, defeating them 3-2.

The win improves the Jays’ overall record to 6-2, their best start to a season since 2009.

Senior forward Clare Kavanagh praised how far the team has come, highlighting their current 2-0 record in Conference play.

“This team is ready and able to challenge every team in our Conference, and we have shown we are able to challenge the best Division-III teams out there,” she said.

The Shorewomen struck first in what would turn out to be a very competitive game.

At the 9:38 mark, forward Kailyn Brandt buried a pass from fellow forward Clare Ingersoll to put Washington College on the board.

The Blue Jays answered back with two goals of their own.

In the 18th minute, junior midfielder Lucy Reider notched her first goal of the season off of an assist from freshman forward Valerie Henderson. It was the Jays’ first goal of the day, tying the game at 1-1.

Not even two minutes later, senior forward Princess Sutherland scored her third goal of the season off of a rebound from a shot by Kavanagh, giving Hopkins a 2-1 lead.

The Shorewomen would respond before halftime. Forward Emily Pantazes sent a shot to the back of the net after a save from the Jays’ sophomore goalkeeper Jodie Baris to tie the game up once again.

With 13:38 left in the game, Kavanagh ripped a shot past Washington College’s goalkeeper Morgan Domanico for what ended up being the game-deciding goal.

“It was a scrappy one that came from a rebound off the goalie pads,” Kavanagh said. “I inserted the ball during that corner set, and then I was in a bit of a tussle with the keeper. I knew I had to get the ball in the air, so the only way I could get a shot off was a backhand flick.”

With a team-leading eighth goal and her 18th point of the season, Kavanagh now stands at second place in the Centennial Conference in both of those categories.

The senior forward also extended her goal streak to five consecutive games after her goal against the Shorewomen.

“It was the only goal of the second half, but we had a lot of other great opportunities, and I think in film we will be able to go back and identify the areas where we can improve,” she said. “We were really able to dominate possession for a good majority of the game, and I think we need to get the scoreboard to reflect that.”

But she also highlighted  how much work the team has put in and how they have approached practice.

“One of our driving mottos in practice is ‘we are getting better today,’” she said. “The level of intensity and competition in practice is exceptional and bodes well for further progression of the team.”

Kavanagh also reflected on how she has changed as a player throughout her career at Hopkins.

“I think one of the hardest changes in my personal play is to eliminate the amount of touches I have on the ball,” she said. “It’s a nice way of saying to stop being a ball hog.”

She also discussed her style of play and how she hopes to improve.

“I have an aggressive, high-risk, high-reward style of play, so I have to really mitigate my decision making — a component of my play I am constantly trying to improve,” Kavanagh said.

The Blue Jays have won their first two Centennial Conferences games for the first time since 2013.

They will look to continue their success when they take on the Haverford Fords on the road this coming weekend.

The game will take place in Haverford, Pa. on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 12 p.m.