For Hopkins sports teams, there is an expectation of greatness. All of our sports teams expect to be the best, and, this weekend, the women’s soccer team displayed what it takes to win. After bouncing back from the heartbreaking loss at The College of New Jersey and a tie at Haverford, the team was able to find their groove again in Carlisle, Pa. against Dickinson.
The next two games on the slate for the Lady Jays offered new difficulties, but the team valiantly rose to the challenge. Facing off against two more Centennial foes, the Lady Jays welcomed two opponents from the eastern region of Pa. to Homewood Field: the Owls of Bryn Mawr College and the Bears of Ursinus College. On Saturday, Bryn Mawr was public enemy number one for the Lady Jays, and Hopkins coasted to an astounding 9-1 victory with relative ease. In a match where seven different ladies found the back of the net, one goal had record-breaking significance. In the 15th minute, junior Hannah Kronick netted her 56th career goal, not only giving her team the early 1-0 edge but also putting her in the Hopkins record books, as the goal gave her the most in school history.
In the 20th minute, senior Kelly Baker added into the scoring affair, giving the squad a 2-0 lead. 10 minutes later, freshman teammate Alexa Rangecroft joined in with her second goal of the season. In the 40th minute, freshman Meg Van de Loo chipped into extending the lead prior to the half, giving the team a 4-0 position. Rangecroft and Van de Loo’s goals would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the slick assists offered to them by junior Sydney Teng.
In the second half, Hopkins picked up right where they left off, continuing to dominate in the offensive half. In the 48th minute, freshman Vania Ludman netted an offering from senior Pamela Vranis to extend Bryn Mawr’s deficit to five. Not long after, senior Jennie Hall joined in to secure a goal. Senior Kylie Fuller followed, as she netted her first goal of the season to stretch the lead to 7-0 in the 56th minute of play. For goals eight and nine, Ludman scored her second of the day and junior Kaitlin Brooks ended the scoring for the Lady Jays.
It was quite the impressive onslaught against the Owls, but for sophomore new-comer Maryalice McKenna, this one was all about recognizing the graduating seniors and momentum.
“Yesterday’s game was all for the seniors. It was senior day, and we all wanted to win for them,” McKenna said. “I don't think we could have asked for a better end result. We have a lot of momentum going into our games this week. We had four games in eight days, so it has been a lot of hard work, but having a big team is definitely to our advantage. We're looking forward to post season but our main priority is focusing on one game at a time.”
Monday provided more of a challenge for the Jays, as the Ursinus Bears rolled into town. Still, the Lady Jays were able to roll, cruising to an impressive 4-0 shutout victory. Kronick showed up in the box score as usual, leading the team with two goals.
However, the Lady Jays began the scoring action thanks to junior Emily Nagourney. The talented midfielder scored the first goal of the game, giving Hopkins a 1-0 lead. From minutes 35 to 45, it was all about Kronick. In minute 36, she put away her career 57th goal, and in minute 45 came goal number 58. Number 58 vaulted her into third-place on the all-time conference scoring list, passing Franklin & Marshall’s Missy Coroso.
To finish the game off, Teng scored her fourth goal of the season, sealing the 4-0 for the Jays. Following both victories, Kronick valued what her team has not only done in the past two games, but also the whole season. With a few games remaining, she stressed the importance of a strong finish.
“So far this season, our team has proven again and again that we are going to be one of the top competitors in the nation and our performance in games have shown that,” Kronick said. “We have four more regular season games and are looking to finish them off strong so that we can set our sights high once the playoffs roll around.”
The Lady Jays take on the McDaniel Green Terror at Homewood Field, followed by trips to Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg.
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