The Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse team opened its season with a strong win against Davidson College this past Sunday at Homewood Field. Hopkins, which featured a potent offensive attack and a relentless defensive effort, overwhelmed Davidson and stomped the Wildcats, 21-5. Freshman attacker Mary Key registered five goals and an assist in her Hopkins debut. Senior midfielder and co-captain Heidi Pearce scored a team-high eight points, totaling three goals and five assists. The win marks the first time in the past four years the Blue Jays have opened the season with a victory.
"It is always important to win a season opener," said Head Coach Janine Tucker. "It's especially important because Davidson was a conference game, and we need to protect our conference."
The Blue Jays took control of the game from the onset, scoring seven straight goals before Davidson could mount any sort of response. The Jays' attack unit unleashed a barrage of shots on the Wildcats' goalkeeper early in the game, building a 15-3 scoring advantage at the half.
"We came out with a mission and put it to work immediately," said Key. "We knew we wanted to get ahead early and work as a unit, which we did. We stayed unselfish throughout the game, and it paid off."
Junior midfielder Anne Crisafulli opened the scoring for the Jays at the 27:20 mark; her goal was followed up by five more Hopkins' goals in a span of just over two minutes. Six different players scored the first six goals. Attacker Erin Riordan then scored the seventh unanswered goal for the Jays with just under 22 minutes to go in the first half. Davidson finally responded with a goal two minutes later, but any hope of a comeback by the Wildcats was quickly quelled, as Hopkins responded with eight straight goals. Davidson scored twice more before the half, but it was too little, too late. The Jays took a 15-3 lead into the half.
Hopkins picked up in the second half right where it left off in the first. Key started the second half by scoring three straight goals, including two unassisted scores in which she drove herself through what seemed like the entire Davidson defense. Junior midfielder Julia Kleene and sophomore attackers Molly Burnett and Lauren Dean each tallied scores for the Jays in the second half, as Hopkins held a 6-2 second half scoring advantage en route to a 21-5 win.
The Hopkins' offense featured incredible performances by Key, Burnett (three goals, one assist), and Pearce. Despite the outstanding individual performances, the victory must be attributed to a total team effort, as everyone on the squad saw time and made contributions on the playing field.
Hopkins also mounted a relentless defensive effort that held the Wildcats to a mere six shots in the game, compared to 48 by the Jays. The defense featured standout play from all the starters, in particular junior Lacey-Leigh Hentz, who registered one goal and three caused turnovers in the game. The great job by the defense allowed the Jays' offense more than ample opportunities to score on the Wildcats.
"This game establishes the tone we hope to carry through the season," said Pearce. Pearce and the rest of the Jays will not have much time to reflect on the victory. The team's next challenge comes this Thursday, when it travels to play at George Washington.
For those of you watching the Blue Jays' sidelines this season, you will notice a familiar face in a new role. Senior Kate Barcomb, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL earlier last month, will take up the position of student assistant coach for the Jays. Barcomb looks to carry the same fiery intensity and leadership she brought to the playing field over onto the Lady Jays' sideline.
"It was a tremendous loss to know Kate had torn her ACL [in the Cornell scrimmage]," said Tucker. "However, it is a tremendous gain for us on the sidelines. The team really responds to her leadership both on and off the field."
Barcomb was set to anchor the first midfield line for the Blue Jays, and was looking forward to doing her part in leading the Jays into their first NCAA playoff trip. She will now do her part from the sidelines, helping to guide the team's younger players as they try to fill in for her the best they can.
