The Hopkins field hockey team had a challenging week, facing two teams ranked in the top ten nationally. This came immediately on the heels of their 2-1 loss to third-ranked Franklin & Marshall last Wednesday, Oct. 5th.
The Blue Jays fell to 10th-ranked Ursinus by a score of 1-0 on Saturday and to sixth-ranked The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) 6-3 on Tuesday. The two losses are the Lady Jays' fourth and fifth consecutive losses, dropping the team to a 5-7 record overall.
They are currently sixth in the Centennial Conference with a conference record of 2-3.
In Collegeville, PA on Saturday a goal scored in the fifth minute of play by Ursinus forward Corrine Freeman proved to be the game winner in a close 1-0 loss. Senior goalkeeper and captain Kim Stein had a great game that resulted in 18 saves, a season-high for the all-Conference goalie.
The Bears outshot the Blue Jays 31-13 and led on corners 15-6, but Stein's performance kept Hopkins in the game for the full 70 minutes.
"I was proud of the team after the Ursinus game," senior defender Amy Wharton said.
Teammate Annie Shepard, a senior forward, agreed. "We played really hard, but we didn't get the win."
Next up was a big non-conference match-up with the Lions of TCNJ. The last time Hopkins travelled to TCNJ, the Blue Jays upset the nationally-ranked Lions in a captivating 2-1 overtime thriller that ended when Ariana Branchini (A&S ‘11) converted a penalty stroke.
The win marked the first time Hopkins had ever defeated TCNJ, who leads the all-time series 13-1.
This year, however, no upset came around as TCNJ bested Hopkins, 6-3. Although the Jays got on the board first with a goal in the sixth minute by junior forward Meghan Kellett, the Lions would bounce back to put away three consecutive goals in the following 20 minutes of play.
Junior forward Maggie Phillips, the Blue Jays' leading scorer, put away her ninth goal of the season off a penalty corner two minutes after TCNJ scored goal number three to bring the game up to 3-2 at the half.
TCNJ started the second half off strong and never looked back, scoring a goal 53 seconds into the half and rattling off two more goals to extend their lead. Shepard cut the lead down to three with a goal in the 50th minute but no more scoring occured.
Senior midfielder Ali Bahneman assisted both Phillips' and Shepard's goals and had a defensive save, while Stein had 15 saves for the Blue Jays. Bahneman and Stein are currently both statistical leaders in the Centennial Conference, with Bahenman in the top ten for assists and Stein in the top five for saves, goals against and minutes played.
TCNJ outshot Hopkins 27-15 and led in penalty corners 14-9.
The team's schedule does not get easier this upcoming week, as they next take on Haverford on Saturday at home. A year ago, the Fords eliminated Hopkins from the Centennial Conference tournament semifinals in a 6-2 route, part of the road to Haverford's second place finish.
However, Haverford is currently ranked fifth in the conference and has a 3-2 Centennial record, 6-5 overall, making it a very winnable contest. This crucial match-up will most likely play a key role in determining which teams make this year's postseason conference tournament.
Last year, in regular season play, Hopkins defeated Haverford in a very close tilt, 4-3.
"We have to stay positive," Wharton said. "There's not much else to do about it. We have improved our play since [the 6-0 loss at Christopher Newport]. You sometimes just don't get the win."
"Also, our schedule the past few weeks has been very challenging," Wharton said. "We've played three top ten teams in a row."
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.