This past Saturday the Hopkins women’s lacrosse team hosted the Penn State Nittany Lions in American Lacrosse Conference play. The meeting marked just the 10th time the teams had faced off with the Nittany Lions holding 6-3 edge all-time although Hopkins had won three of the four before Saturday.
Penn State came from behind and sparked a run that lasted the entire second half to overcome the Lady Jays by a final score of 10-7.
Hopkins fell to 9-6 overall with the loss and are just 1-3 in the conference while Penn State improved to 9-6 overall and 3-2 in the ALC.
The first half opened with the Blue Jays controlling the game, setting the tempo early with a goal by freshman midfielder Taylor D’Amore just 52 seconds into the game. D’Amore has been a force to be reckoned with all season long, stepping into a starting role as a freshman to lead the team in assists with 15 and is third in goals with 24.
Hopkins continued to expand on its lead, opening up a 4-0 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game with goals from junior attackmen Candace Rossi, Colleen McCaffrey and Rachel Ballatori.
Penn State seemed overmatched by Hopkins’s intensity, and did not score their first goal of the day until the 8:44 mark, ending a 21-minute scoreless streak.
Rossi, who is second on the team in both goals and shots wih 29 and 75 respectively, refused to allow momentum to swing in the hands of the Nittany Lions, punishing the back of the net with 6:34 to play in the first half, putting the Jays up by a score of 5-1.
Unfortunately, the tides began to turn for the Lady Jays with only one minute left in the first half. The Nittany Lions forced a turnover and scored with 26 seconds left on the clock, cutting the deficit to three goals, 5-2.
Both teams went into the locker room at halftime with their work cut out for them; Hopkins had to hold off the powerful Penn State offense while the Lions had to overcome a deficit and escape the jaws of defeat.
Hopkins Head Coach Janine Tucker commented on the leadership she has seen from her team this season.
“I think our captains have done a tremendous job as our team leaders. [Senior defenseman] Brooke Lipinski, [senior midfielder] Brianna Cronin and Rachel Ballatori are all dedicated, positive, enthusiastic leaders and are bringing the rest of the team along so well,” Tucker said.
Unfortunately, the second half did not go as planned, and Penn State came out of the gate with a certain ferocity, a craving for a win.
Penn State jump-started the second half right where they left off the first. Three consecutive goals were poured on the Hopkins defense within a three-minute span, turning what was a small lead into a 5-5 tie.
Suddenly, there was a spark from the Hopkins offense, and the bleak outlook abruptly became optimistic when sophomore attackman Katie Duffey and Rossi scored back to back goals in just 40 seconds to open up a 7-5 lead.
The Blue Jay scoring attack would stop there though, and as it turned out, Penn State was just getting started. The Nittany Lions scored two goals within the ensuing two minutes to tie the game at seven goals apiece.
With 9:33 remaining in the game, Penn State took their first lead of the game. The Blue Jays defense did not hesitate to allow the Nittany Lions to pad the lead with a subsequent insurance goal.
With four minutes left in the game, the final goal was scored and Penn State took a 10-7 lead to the final whistle.
While upset about the loss, coach Tucker was proud of her troops’ effort on the field.
“The team has been riding hard, working through our offenses to get high quality shots,
playing together and communicating well,” she said. “We play hard all over the field and are right there with these top teams.”
The loss drops Hopkins to a 1-3 record in the conference and leaves only one game remaining on the schedule.
Saturday’s game was the final home game of the season at Homewood Field, where the Blue Jays finished with a 5-3 record in 2011 and are 82-38 all time under coach Tucker.
The Lady Jays will travel to Columbos, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes this coming Saturday.
A win at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium would place the Jays as the number four seed in the ALC Tournament and would set up a rematch with the Buckeyes in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday, May 5th, in Nashville, Tenn.
Hopkins and Ohio State have met nine times, and the Jays hold a 6-3 advantage all-time.
The Lady Jays were in a similar position heading into the Buckeye game a year ago, needing a win to finish in third place in the ALC and set up a postseason meeting with the Florida Gators.
Lead by four goals from McCaffrey a year ago, the Jays held for the win 9-8. They hope to duplicate such a performance come Saturday.
Even with a loss against Ohio State, Hopkins will still advance to the ALC playoffs, but as a sixth-seed to face off with the Nittany Lions of Penn State once again.
Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. Good luck to the Lady Jays and their quest for the playoffs!
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