The Hopkins field hockey team has a simple goal this season: win the Centennial Conference championship. Last season, they fell short of the Conference playoffs. That was last year, and they won’t soon forget the importance of every single conference game they play.
The Hopkins water polo team kept their winning record going as they hit the water in Princeton, New Jersey this past weekend. After coming off a 4-0 sweep at the Navy Invitational, the Blue Jays had a target on their backs entering the Princeton Invitational. This extra pressure only added to the Jays intensity and dedication to come out strong and prove their standing in the tournament.
The Hopkins volleyball team opened up Centennial Conference action on Tuesday, Sept. 17, against Washington College. The key for the Lady Jays was to take control of the match early and start conference play off with a bang. Due to some stiff competition early in the season, the Lady Jays are about as battle-tested as possible heading into the most important stretch of their season thus far.
Last Friday, Sept. 13, the men’s and women’s cross country teams laced up in State College, Pa for the Spiked Shoe Invitational. It was a very successful day for Hopkins as the women stormed their way to a second place finish while the men powered all the way up to a fourth place finish.
The Hopkins men’s soccer team took on competitor Scranton at Homewood Field this past Saturday afternoon. In a long match that went into double overtime, Scranton scored the game-winning goal in the 108th minute, winning against Hopkins 2-1.
The Hopkins Blue Jays football team kicked off their Centennial Conference season this past Saturday against the Susquehanna Crusaders. While the Blue Jays explosive offense is no secret, the story of this game was the defense, holding the Crusaders to only 122 offensive yards and totaling nine sacks on the day.
Powerhouse junior outside hitter Meagan Donohoe paved the way for the Blue Jays’ win over No. 21 Salisbury last Tuesday, marking the first time Hopkins has defeated a nationally-ranked team in 12 years. She delivered 25 kills that match, thus earning her the title of Centennial Conference Player of the Week. The offensive threat has already surpassed the triple digit mark in kills, as she leads the team with 112 kills this season. Similarly, the junior from Olney, MD leads the conference in another benchmark, averaging 4.87 kills per set.
The no. 2 ranked Hopkins Woman Soccer team improved to 7-0 on the season, as they cruised passed Washington College on their way to a 4-0 win, notching their first Centennial Conference victory of the year. Three separate players scored for the Blue Jays, while Washington contributed an own goal to complete the dominating performance by the Lady Jays.
The Hopkins women’s field hockey team faced off against Centennial Conference opponent Muhlenberg at home on Saturday afternoon. With the pressure of beginning the season undefeated inside the conference, the Blue Jays were able to come back after falling down 1-0 to defeat the Mules 2-1. Hopkins was able to improve to 4-2 on the season and a 2-0 record in the Centennial Conference.
The Hopkin’s women’s soccer team had an exciting game in Pennsylvania this past Saturday, beating Muhlenberg 5-0 in a dominant shutout. The Blue Jays retained their undefeated record and showed why they are ranked 2nd nationwide in Division III women’s soccer.
The Hopkins men’s soccer team dropped their first match against a Centennial Conference foe last weekend. The 19th ranked Swarthmore Garnet maintained their undefeated record, as they slid past Hopkins with a 1-0 victory at home.
The Hopkins water polo team pushed their record to 9-2 after winning two of their three home games this past weekend. Hopkins started the weekend off with a battle against the undefeated Princeton. The Tigers took a 5-2 lead going into the second quarter. However, the Jays rallied and tied up the game halfway through the second. The fast-paced offensive surge continued into the second quarter as six more goals were scored. Heading into the half, Princeton held a 9-7 advantage over the Blue Jays.
The Hopkins women’s volleyball team has been on a roll in recent weeks. The Jays have won six out of seven games since the start of the month and showed no signs of slowing down.
The Hopkins women’s soccer team is off to a hot 9-0 start, earning themselves the honor of 2nd overall in the nation for Division III soccer. They have already taken down the No, 1 team, Messiah, in a 2-1 victory and have collected two Centennial Conference victories. A big part of these wins has been senior Pamela Vranis, who scored three goals this past week, including two against Muhlenberg. After coming back from a season-ending injury last year, Vranis was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week and The News-Letter Athlete of the Week.
The Hopkins Football team traveled up North for a Saturday afternoon meeting with the Moravian Greyhounds, hoping that their first trip to Pennsylvania would be successful. Their main job was to keep focused on the task at hand, rather than letting their trip to Moravian make them arrogant and overly confident heading into the important conference game. The Jays put any thought of a trap game away as quickly as possible, racking up a total of 391 offensive yards and a 38-0 lead at the half. The Jays continued to dominate in the second half, sending a big message to all competitors in the Centennial as they dismantled Moravian 52-14, bringing their season record to 3-0.
As September comes to an end, the fall season approaches. With tinges of burnt orange and fiery red scattered throughout the country’s treetops, my favorite time of year begins. For a sports fan, there is nothing better than the next couple of months. Both NCAA and NFL football seasons are well underway. NHL and NBA teams prepare for another long season. But best of all is the start of the MLB playoffs. Even though my beloved Yankees will not be competing in late October this year, the excitement of playoff baseball is incomparable. With the end of the regular season approaching, The News-Letter thought it would be a good time to take a look at the pennant race. Though several teams have locked up spots for the postseason, there are still exciting games to be played in the final weeks. We will start by looking at the American League.
As the summer faded away and the average Hopkins student started saying their goodbyes to hometown friends, the women’s soccer team was hard at work preparing for what they hope to be a dominant season. After just three weeks, the Lady Jays have won five straight games and propelled themselves to become the number two ranked team in the country.
After earning the unanimous preseason No. 1 spot in the Centennial Conference, Hopkins women's volleyball eyed their 2013 season with high expectations.
Winning is nothing new for the Hopkins Blue Jays football team, who posted a 10-2 record last season; and this season was nothing new as the Blue Jays won their 11th season-opening game in the last 15 years. After a preseason of beating up on each other, the Jays finally were able to take out their aggression on an opponent, and did so in a big way. Hopkins took on Randolph-Macon in Ashland, VA. In the past Randolph-Macon has provided an equal matchup against Hopkins, as the Jays have actually fallen behind early in both their 2006 and 2008 matchups, only to come back and win the game. However, that was not the story in this meeting as the Blue Jays controlled the tempo for much of the game.
The Hopkins water polo team took to the water in Annapolis, MD at the scenic United States Naval Academy to begin their 2013 campaign, and did so by getting off on the right foot. At the site of the nation’s finest aquatic warriors, the Jays went 4-0 against stiff competition from across the country.
