W. soccer lengthens winning streak to 13

After clinching a spot in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament last Wednesday, the Hopkins women's soccer team won both of their games this week to improve their conference record to 9-0 and overall record to 15-2-0. On Saturday, the Lady Jays traveled to Bryn Mawr in hopes of a win that would secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament. "Our strategies are to score early and often and come out strong from the start," junior midfielder Issy Berkey said. Hopkins was able to do exactly that when senior forward Sydney Teng tallied two goals in quick succession to put the Lady Jays up 2-0 in five minutes. Sophomore forward Ana Bengoechea commented on the importance of Teng's play in securing the victory. "[Teng's] two goals in the first five minutes were crucial for our overall success because it gave us the confidence we needed to build on our attack," Bengochea said. The Lady Jays never let their foot off the pedal after their quick 2-0 lead, impressively adding two more goals just in the first half. Just eight minutes after Teng's two strikes, Berkey stole the ball from a Bryn Mawr midfielder and passed a through ball to senior forward Hannah Kronick, who scored the third goal of the game in the 13th minute. The goal was Kronick's 12th of the season. Not long after, Bengoechea added to the barrage of goals, scoring the fourth goal for the Lady Jays and stretching the lead to 4-0. Kronick received the ball from the right of the goal and passed it to Bengoechea as she ran in front of her. Bengoechea was able to convert from there, hitting it first touch off her left foot. "My goal was an overall team effort," Bengoechea said. Kronick's assist tied her for the conference all-time career assists record with 35. After a bombardment of goals in the first half, the second half was relatively more quiet for the Lady Jays, with just one goal from sophomore midfielder Alexa Rangecroft, who made a great impact with three shots. The goal was Rangecroft's first of the season. Hopkins could pride themselves in their defensive execution as much as their offense, as they did not let a single Bryn Mawr shot into the back of the net. Freshman goalkeeper Bess Kitzmiller had a great performance in her first career start. "It was really exciting to get my first career start," Kitzmiller said. "I’m grateful that I was given the opportunity to help my team out in the goal." While Kitzmiller played her role perfectly by making two saves and allowing no goals, it was also the Lady Jays' defense that kept the opponents to just two shots. "I have to credit the defense and the entire team for keeping the game scoreless," Kitzmiller said. "We did a great job possessing the ball and gave Bryn Mawr very few scoring opportunities." After an incredible performance at Bryn Mawr, Hopkins traveled to Westminster to play yet another conference opponent in the McDaniel Green Terror. The Lady Jays again started the match in great form, taking control of the match with three first-half goals. "The first-half goals in the past two games were very important for us," Kronick said. "We have made it a team objective to come out as hard as possible in the first half and get the job done." Sophomore midfielder Vania Ludman started off the scoring with a goal off a corner, her first goal of the season. The second goal was again off of a corner, as senior midfielder Alyssa Conti headed the ball into the back of the net. Kronick made her mark in the game with yet another assist, passing the ball to junior midfielder Hope Lundberg who scored to increase the Hopkins lead to 3-0 just in the first half. Kronick's assist gives her the conference record with 36. "I enjoy setting up my teammates for them to score goals," Kronick said. "I just try to put myself and my teammates in the best positions to help the team score." The second half was less successful, with Hopkins going scoreless, but the Lady Jays still held on, allowing just one McDaniel goal with a compact defensive strategy that barely allowed the Green Terror any room to work with in the offensive half of the field. Hopkins carries a 13-game winning streak into Saturday when they will host Gettysburg in the final match of the regular season. The game is slated to start at 1 p.m. at Homewood Field.