After stumbling off to a slow start this season, the Johns Hopkins Field Hockey team's prospects looked grim; the Jays started 2-5 in the first three weeks of the season. However, the Lady Jays have made a complete turn around, and are now in the midst of a six-game winning streak that has enabled them to clinch a playoff spot in the Centennial Conference tournament. The recent hot streak also puts them in the running for home-field advantage throughout the conference tournament.
After defeating Bryn Mawr College 7-1 last Saturday, Hopkins stood in a tie for second place in the Centennial Conference with a 7-1 record. They will take on the first-place team, Ursinus, this upcoming Saturday to determine iwho wins the regular season crown.
"At this point, our main goal is to host the conference tournament," said sophomore goalkeeper Meredith Shifman. "We are always more confident when we play on our home turf."
Hopkins got one step closer to accomplishing that goal on Homewood Field on Saturday with a big win over Bryn Mawr.
Not only was this commanding victory a morale booster for the Blue Jays, but it also allowed many players who have not seen much action this year to get game experience.
"Everyone on the team got a chance to play," said senior forward and co-captain Kelly Hewitt. "It was nice to get everybody in."
Although the game turned into a rout, it was actually a close match for much of the first half.
Senior midfielder and co-captain Ashlee Duncan put the Blue Jays on the board first; senior forward Jenny Farrelly fed Duncan, who blasted a shot past the Owls' goalkeeper Nicole Huynh. The score remained 1-0 throughout the majority of the first half. Then, with 2:38 left in the half, Hewitt passed to junior midfielder Anna Rehwinkel, who connected for her second goal of the season to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
"We got off to a relatively slow start," said Shifman, who needed just two saves to shut down the Owls in the first half. "However, our team really picked things up in the second half."
Nevertheless, the second frame did not open well for the Jays, as Bryn Mawr pulled within one after a goal by Katie Maza in the opening minutes. However, Hopkins would respond with five unanswered goals and ultimately cruise to victory. Hopkins finally secured some breathing room with two straight goals by Duncan in a span of two minutes. Both goals were assisted by sophomore midfielder Meighan Roose. Duncan finished with three goals on the day and is now second on the team in goals scored with six.
Freshman forward Alison Williams extended the Blue Jays' lead to 5-1 with her first career goal, which came off a pass from Farrelly. With 2:39 remaining in the game, Hewitt added a goal to put the Jays up by five. Farrelly sealed victory for the Blue Jays by scoring a goal with 1:52 left in the game. Williams was credited with her first career assist on the play.
Eng contributed significantly to the Blue Jays' victory, allowing just one goal in the second half and making four saves to guarantee the Blue Jays their ninth win of the season.
The contributions of some of the younger members who took advantage of this opportunity to play in a game setting were also a positive for the Jays.
"We missed a few games earlier in the season that may have given more playing time to some team members," said Hewitt. "You can sometimes get to a point in the season where it becomes tedious to practice all the time if you are not going to play in games. It was great for team members to get something to show for all the hard work they have put in at practice."
Hopkins will play its final regular-season game on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. on Homewood Field against first-place Ursinus. This is bound to be a tough game for the Jays, as Ursinus recently made the switch from Division I to Division III two years ago.
However, Hopkins has momentum and a six-game winning streak coming into this pivotal match-up, and they will be playing on their home turf against a grass team. Hopkins has only lost once at home this year.
Looking ahead to the Centennial Conference tournament, the Blue Jays feel they have a realistic shot at winning the tournament if they can maintain their current level of play.
Hewitt cites balance as the key to the team's ongoing success this season.
"We are not a team of superstars," she said. "But we have a lot of good players. In order for us to be successful, everyone must do well. When everybody contributes, that's when we really shine and play our best as a team." Shifman concurred.
"We have a very talented group of girls," said the young goalie. "We just have to stay positive because the more positive we are, the more energized we are in practice and the better we play."
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