With the halfway mark of the season behind us, the Blue Jays are well and truly in the final leg of the season, heading towards conference championships and playoffs! In what is almost regular fashion at this point, the teams at Hopkins put together another stellar week of performances, so let’s take a look back at some of the best from the week...
Football: W (52 – 21)
At the tail-end of their three-game home stretch, the Hopkins football team looked to continue their undefeated start to the season. Coming up against a Ursinus team that rolled through McDaniel College 52 – 0 the week before, it seemed like it might be a shootout between two strong offenses. At least that’s how it seemed before both teams stepped out onto the field.
Hopkins came out with their guns blazing as they ripped a 76-yard touchdown on the first play of the game, setting the tone for what would become a beatdown. After taking only 10 seconds to score their first touchdown, Hopkins would score a couple of minutes later, and then add on another touchdown before the end of the first, making it a 17 – 0 game heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter proved no more fruitful for Ursinus, as Hopkins took a 31 – 0 lead with four minutes left in the quarter. While the Grizzly Bears scored a couple of garbage time touchdowns, the scoreline ultimately reflected the lack of competition between the two sides.
Junior wide receiver Cole Crotty stood out as he recorded nine receptions for 228 yards and two touchdowns, including the opening play touchdown. Senior running back Geoff Schroeder also had an outstanding game as he accumulated 115 total yards and two touchdowns. Notably, the combination of graduate student quarterback Bay Harvey, Cole Crotty and Geoff Schroeder became the first set of teammates with 300 passing yards, 200 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards in a single game in Hopkins!
Field Hockey: W (8 – 0), W (2 – 1), W (1 – 0)
The Hopkins Field Hockey team has been almost flawless this year, as they have climbed all the way up to #2 in the national rankings.
They began their week facing off against the McDaniel Green Terror at home. Despite their name, the Terror didn’t strike much fear into the Blue Jays as they were dismantled in a complete effort by Hopkins. Senior forward Megan Chang would open the scoring for Hopkins, en route to a hat trick that cemented the Blue Jay victory. The game was truly never close, especially after a four-point third quarter from Hopkins that pushed it all the way out of reach.
After their 8 – 0 victory, Hopkins moved on to face 15th ranked Williams College away from home. In a much closer contest, the Blue Jays were still able to emerge victorious, thanks to goals from Megan Chang and sophomore midfielder Deedee Golla. While Williams would make the contest slightly tight after responding with a goal, that would mark the end of their attempt at a comeback.
Hopkins would round out the week with a contest against Washington College back at home. Despite the scoreline reflecting a close contest, Hopkins did have control over much of the game, allowing only eight shots from Washington College compared to their own 22. Sophomore midfielder An Tran was the lone scorer from the matchup thanks to a tip-in goal from a penalty corner at the end of the first period. Overall, an incredibly successful week of competition for the team, with only three matches left in their regular season.
Women’s Soccer: W (1 – 0)
Coming off of a difficult loss to Washington College, the Women’s Soccer team travelled to Pennsylvania to take on Franklin & Marshall.
Hopkins looked to take command of the game from the get go, and they did so successfully, tallying up 10 shots in the first half compared to Franklin & Marshall’s one. Despite this, scoring was still kept very tight for most of the first half until a 43rd-minute goal from senior forward Maria Romo-Nichols, her fourth of the season.
While the Blue Jays didn’t have quite as much of a vice-like grip over Franklin & Marshall in the second half, as they were outshot 6 – 3, the Diplomats weren’t able to put any pressure on Hopkins freshman goalie Ella Kruntchev as they managed no shots on target. Romo-Nichol’s goal ended up being the difference in the game, as Hopkins was able to come away with a win and significantly help their chances at securing a bye in the Centennial Conference tournament.
Men’s Soccer: W (4 – 0), T (1 – 1)
Despite an up and down season for the Men’s Soccer team, they looked to finish off on a positive note with four matches left.
Heading to Pennsylvania for a matchup against Franklin & Marshall, Hopkins got off to a great start. Freshman defender Thomas Bean would score his first goal at Hopkins in the seventh minute of the game, thanks to an assist from another freshman, forward Brendan Listzwan. The Blue Jays would score again before halftime, taking a 2 – 0 lead going into the break.
Coming out of halftime, Listzwan would score a goal of his own within the first four minutes. Bean then followed that up with his second goal of the afternoon, cementing his brace and the Blue Jays’ victory as they won 4 – 0.
The second match of the week came against a very good Dickinson team — ranked eighth in the country — at Homewood field. Despite going down early on in the contest, the Blue Jays did not give up as a penalty that was won in the second half allowed them to tie up the score. While the game would ultimately end in a tie, it signals good improvement from a young Hopkins squad that they can take into the season next year!
