With a convincing 4-1 victory over Gettysburg College on Sunday, the Jays claimed their seventh Centennial Conference title in 15 years and laid the groundwork for a deep run in the NCAA tournament. It is the second consecutive title for Hopkins and continues the culture of winning that Coach Matt Smith's previous 14 Blue Jay squads have established.
The 2007 team now stands at 17-3, just two NCAA tournament wins away from tying the 19-win single season high that last year's team set.
Though the Blue Jay attack has been multi-faceted all year, two standouts have emerged from the ranks of the freshman class to make their mark on the Centennial Conference and beyond. Forwards David Drake and Scott Bukoski have emerged as offensive stars. Their talents were on display this weekend as Drake scored his 13th goal of the season and Bukoski netted numbers 18 and 19.
There was no lack of goals in the Centennial Conference championship game on Sunday as Hopkins took the title with a 4-1 rout of Gettysburg. After a pass from Bukoski combined with a strike from Drake, the Jays took the lead in the 15th minute. The team soon saw their advantage evaporate, however, when Gettysburg capitalized on a miscue by the Hopkins defense.
After sophomore midfielder Max Venker earned and scored a penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season, Bukoski added to his first-half assist by pouring in two insurance goals to seal the win.
Coach Smith described his team's second-half strategy and how his aggressiveness paid off.
"We put a lot of pressure on them right to start the second half," Coach Smith said. "When we scored the PK, Gettysburg put more players forward to try and equalize."
Instead of causing problems for Hopkins, the fact that their opponents pressed after Venker's goal gave the Jays space to work in the middle of the field and opened lanes for offensive attacks. Bukoski and his fellow Jays were able to take advantage of the scoring chances and capture the win.
"I attribute [my performance] to the rest of my teammates," said Bukoski. "I cant score if I don't get the ball."
Hopkins came into the championship match with a pretty good idea of what they were up against. Gettysburg had come to Homewood Field on Oct. 24 and suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of a fired-up team that was out for reprisal after its first back-to-back losses since 2000. Sophomore defender Tommy McQueen explained the value of playing Gettysburg just 11 days before the final.
"When we played them we really got to see what worked," McQueen said. "In the second half of the [Oct. 24] game we didn't let them get a shot off and kept the ball on their half almost the entire time."
While previous experience against the Bullets doubtlessly helped the Blue Jays strategically prepare for the final, the hard-earned semifinal the day before surely helped Hopkins gear up for a big game.
The Jays began their semifinal game versus the Muhlenberg Mules without the intensity that has fueled their remarkable season thus far. The Mules stormed out of the gate and were able to find a seam in the Hopkins defense when they scored in the sixth minute. Though very early in the action, this was certainly a turning point in the game as it put pressure on Hopkins to win the game.
"When a team scores early in the match it can do one of two things," Bukoski said. "It can either deflate your morale or give you a wake-up call."
The Jays answered the call by concentrating efforts and creating chances on offense. They picked up the intensity level and took control of the game.
"As soon as it happened it really lit a fire under every person," McQueen said. "We had an enhanced sense of urgency."
Coach Smith said that the insertion of Venker and McAbee sparked the team. Both players had started the game on the bench due to injuries. McAbee in particular has struggled with his health. He was red-shirted for his sophomore season due to a stress fracture in his shin. He has since undergone surgery both on that shin and on his ankle.
Hopkins went on to capture the win with goals from junior midfielder Nick Gauna and Drake.
The NCAA tournament will be quite a test for a young Hopkins team. Hopkins will host a four-team regional this coming weekend. In the first round the Jays will play DeSales, a team Hopkins took down at the beginning of the year. Still, the team knows not to look ahead to the later rounds.
"We've got to take it one game at a time," McQueen said. "You can't ever take a look at the second game; when you look at a second game you get beat."
