The Hopkins men’s soccer enters the 2013 season with something to prove. The Blue Jays were picked to finish fourth in the Centennial Conference this year, unfamiliar territory for the eight-time Centennial Conference champions. Regardless, last year’s 8-8-2 squad holds high expectations for the year. Even with the preseason ranking, head coach Craig Appleby is confident in his team.
The Hopkins men’s and women’s Cross Country teams returned after a long summer to the Sea Gull Opener on Aug. 31. Both teams did exceptionally well, with the Women’s team claiming the title and the Men’s team placing second.
After the first week of regular season football, here are our takes on the top eight teams in the league:
The Navy Midshipmen arrived at Homewood Field Friday afternoon on two large buses in preparation for the following day’s matchup. While the men from Annapolis became accustomed to the Hopkins field, it seemed as if the Midshipmen weren’t 100 percent focused, as some of the players were seen chasing each other around as the team boarded the bus. Roughly 24 hours later Navy stepped back on their bus with a sure sense of disappointment.
In another dominating performance, the Hopkins women’s tennis team swept the Muhlenberg College Mules 9-0 on Saturday after making the drive up to Allentown, Pa. The sixth-ranked Lady Jays have continued on their impressive tear, bringing their overall season record to 14-2 while remaining undefeated in the Centennial Conference, 8-0. The win was the ninth in a row for Hopkins, an impressive stretch through the heart of their demanding schedule.
Hopkins had many shining moments in the three meets they competed in this weekend. But the team particularly excelled in the Widener Invitational.
The Hopkins Baseball team reached the 30 win mark this weekend and did so in only 35 games. With an overall 30-5 record the Blue Jays are currently ranked third in the nation behind Linfield and Kean.
The women’s track team had an action-packed weekend, participating in three separate meets around the Northeast. These events included the Widener Invitational, the Mount Multis Meet and the Larry Ellis Invitational.
The men’s track team most recently competed against talented schools in various meets including the two-day Widener Invitational, the Larry Ellis Invitational and the Mount Mullis Meet.
The Hopkins men’s tennis team earned the top seed in the Centennial Conference this past weekend, as the men notched victories against both Muhlenberg (9-0) and Mary Washington (9-0). The men subsequently improved their overall 15-2 record and their Centennial Conference undefeated record to 8-0. With only one regular season match remaining, the men hope to maintain their top seed.
Some late game heroics from Nittany Lion Mackenzie Cyr pushed sixth-ranked Penn State past the Blue Jays by a score of 15-14 on Sunday. In a back and forth nail-biter that kept the fans on the edge of their seats the whole way through, it was no surprise that the deciding goal came with just 31 seconds to go.
Infamously known as ‘Lacrosse’s Greatest Rivalry’, No.15 Hopkins squared off against the top ranked Terps of Maryland for the 110th time in program history, with over 10,000 fans as witness. Having previously dropped another one goal loss to Albany the week before, Hopkins came roaring back to life on Saturday as the Jays upset their rival, 7-4. The Jays led the entire game, with hard fought goals from senior John Kaestner and senior John Ranagan fueling the drive. Behind the offensive momentum, a stingy Hopkins defense kept the Terps at bay with senior goalie Pierce Bassett snatching up 12 saves for the day.
After another impressive streak of momentum, the Hopkins men’s tennis team took down Centennial Conference rival Haverford, 7-2 this past Saturday. With some perfect weather for tennis, the Jays asserted themselves as the dominant competitor, winning all six singles matches despite early struggles in the doubles round.
The Hopkins women’s lacrosse team, sitting at 7-5 overall, traveled to Charlottesville on Thursday to take on the University of Virginia under the lights.
Five minutes into the game against Maryland, the score was tied 0-0. Senior midfielder John Ranagan grabbed a 25-yard pass from his teammate, senior goalie Pierce Bassett, pushed his way to the goal and sunk it into the net to give the Jays the lead, 1-0. Two minutes later, the cage rattled again as Ranagan pulled out another goal.
After a tough game last week against a very talented Albany team, we set our eyes on the biggest rivalry in the history of collegiate lacrosse, Hopkins vs. the University of Maryland. Because of two straight losses, we knew this game was a must-win for us, but we didn’t even need that motivation in getting up for the rivalry, especially because Maryland was ranked number one in the nation coming into this match-up.
The Hopkins baseball team took down Swarthmore twice on Saturday by a combined score of 14-1, to improve to a record of 26-2 overall and 9-0 in Centennial Conference play. Junior Tyler Goldstein was lights out for the Jays in game one, striking out nine batters and walking zero in a complete game effort. After a relatively quiet first three innings, the Jays’ bats came to life in the top of the fourth, as seniors Ryan Zakszeski and Adam Weiner each drove in a run. Weiner came through again in the sixth inning, driving in senior Chris Wilhelm. Sophomore Craig Hoelzer followed up Weiner’s single with one of his own, scoring Zakszeski.
At the Hopkins-Loyola Invitational on April 14, the Hopkins men and women’s track teams had stout competition. Both teams placed high in the majority of races and got strong performances from freshman and seniors alike. The men’s team, led by junior Andrew Carey, finished second in the highly competitive invitational.
The Hopkins women’s tennis team had an eventful past weekend, as the players competed both Saturday and Sunday.
The stage was set for a thrilling game at Homewood Field this past Friday night as the Hopkins Men’s Lacrosse team took on Albany in a game of great importance for both teams. For the second week in a row, the Jays fell just short of a victory.
