Field Hockey falls to Salisbury 8-1

The Johns Hopkins Field Hockey team is currently in the midst of an unanticipated week-and-a-half stretch without a game due to Hurricane Isabel and the ensuing floods that cancelled last Sunday's game against Catholic and postponed Tuesday's match against the College of Notre Dame.

The Blue Jays, although upset about missing these two games, also see a positive side to the cancellations.

"In a way, it's good to have this break from games," said Kelly Hewitt, a senior forward who serves as one of the team's two captains. "We have had some good practices lately and this allows us to get a fresh start on the season."

The other captain, senior defender Ashlee Duncan, agreed.

"It is disappointing that our last two games have been cancelled, but it has helped us, too," she said. "People have been working hard because we realize that we play the way we practice."

The Blue Jays' main focus in practice this week has been to ameliorate some of the team's weaknesses, which were evident in last Wednesday's loss to No. 2 ranked Salisbury College. The Blue Jays suffered an 8-1 loss despite a competitive first half. The game was scoreless for the opening 17 minutes and Hopkins' defense looked sharp during this span. Then, the Sea Gulls broke the 0-0 tie with a goal by Brittany Elliott. Less than two minutes later, Lindsey Elliott scored one of her own to give the Sea Gulls a 2-0 advantage. Elliott added to the lead by scoring another goal with 7:07 remaining in the first half.

"For the first twenty minutes of the game, we were right with them, but our level of play dropped after that. We wanted to hang with Salisbury for the full 70 minutes, but it didn't turn out that way," said Hewitt.

Much to the Jays' dismay, Salisbury picked up where it left off in the second half. Brittany Elliott scored her third goal of the game and Lindsey Elliott added two more goals to get a hat trick of her own. Ashley Butler's goal gave Salisbury a 7-0 lead with ten minutes left in the game.

With 6:06 on the clock, junior forward Kate Mandel scored Hopkins' lone goal of the game off an assist by sophomore forward Caite Kappel.

Jays' sophomore goalkeeper Meredith Shifman stopped four shots and allowed three goals in the first half. She was replaced by freshman Dayna Eng in the second half. Eng conceded five goals and made four saves in her 35 minutes of playing time.

The game, upsetting as it was for Hopkins (2-3), helped the team pinpoint some areas it must improve on as it moves toward conference play.

"Our defensive corners were not very good, but we have been practicing them," said Hewitt. "We're also working on our transition up the field."

Duncan also asserted that Hopkins has been working equally hard on its offensive game, emphasizing crisp passing from midfielders to forwards. In fact, the team has even changed its positioning slightly to bulwark the defense, while allowing the midfielders to stay further upfield.

"We added an extra defender to help out our midfielders," Duncan explained. "In past games, our midfielders have been tied down by the goal, virtually taking them out of the offensive game. Now, our defense will be stronger and there will be less pressure on our midfielders."

The Blue Jays hope their new plan will yield immediate results in the game at Lynchburg on Saturday afternoon. Last season, Hopkins lost to Lynchburg in double-overtime, so they are looking to avenge that loss. Hewitt, for one, is convinced the team will do just that.

"We are confident in our ability to score and play as a team," she said. "This will be our last chance to get everything straightened out before conference play starts."

The Blue Jays' first conference game will be next Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. against Gettysburg in Virginia.

"Traditionally, we have had a good rivalry against Gettysburg," said Hewitt. "It will be a tough game, but definitely one that we can come away from with a 'W.'"