Hopkins field hockey travelled to Babson College on Saturday and fought against the hosting Beavers. The final came out to a 3-2 loss for the Lady Jays, but by no means was it an easy win for Babson. It was the first loss of the season for Hopkins.
The Beavers didn't take long to score their first goal of the contest. Their goal came on a corner where some quick passes and a snappy shot sent the ball in with only 4:15 on the clock.
This was followed by another goal by Babson about three minutes later on a rebound off of senior goalie Kim Stein.
The Blue Jays struck back at 28:22, with a goal from junior Maggie Phillips, who snagged a rebound and snaked it into the Babson goal to make the game 2-1.
At 38:22, the Beavers answered back with their third and final goal of the game. After going about 14 minutes without an answer, Babson saw a second Hopkins goal from junior Lianne Tellier. The Jays came close to scoring a third goal with a few minutes to play, but was denied by the Beaver's goalie.
It was an unusual loss: Hopkins held the advantage in shots (22-18) and was even with Babson on corners. Although it was a tight loss, it didn't prevent the ladies from travelling to MIT the next day for a solid win.
The Engineers only managed to get a 1-0 lead off a corner at the very end of the first half. JHU didn't waste much time, answering the home team just about seven minutes into the second half of play.
Senior Ali Bahneman took a shot at the goal, which was then deflected by Phillips into the goal. A second Hopkins goal came not even three minutes later when Phillips added her second goal of the game on a rebound from a shot by Tellier.
The Blue Jays scored their third and final goal of the game less than thirty seconds later. Senior Carly Bianco put a ball in on an assist by fellow senior Annie Shepard.
Hopkins managed to fight off the Engineers for the remainder of the game, stopping them on numerous opportunities. The tallies at the end of the match were both in favor of MIT, despite the score difference.
They had the advantage in corners (15-9) and shots (21-19). Stein managed 12 saves by the end of the contest. It was a great offensive and defensive victory for the Blue Jays.
In the team's third contest of the week, Hopkins traveled to Salisbury to face the Sea Gulls. It marked the Jays' second loss of the season and the second-ranked Gulls' fifth straight win. Needless to say, it was no easy loss for the Lady Jays, with a final score of 5-0.
Salisbury managed to punch through the Hopkins defense and remained on the attack for the majority of the game. The Blue Jays were at a disadvantage in shots and corners, which were 20-8 and 10-8, respectively.
The ladies return to action this weekend when they travel to Washington College for their Centennial Conference opener. It will be a chance for the team to jump back on their feet and improve their 3-2 record. Expect to hear good things!
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