With a record of 4-1, the Hopkins women's soccer team is off to a terrific start. The season has already produced several momentous accomplishments. Before entering the game with Washington State's University of Puget Sound last weekend, the team was ranked No. 9 nationally, the highest standing the team has ever achieved. But, despite the pressure, Puget was unfazed.
Hopkins squared off with the No. 4 Puget team for a grueling 101 minutes, dipping into double overtime before even one ball hit the back of the net. Unfortunately for the Jays, that ball came off the foot of a Logger. The ending capped a stalwart defensive effort on both sides of the field. Noteworthy in the game were the eight saves by Blue Jay junior keeper Kerry Hamilton.
But a loss to a top-ranked foe was not enough of a blow to halt the Jays' assault on their competition. In their first conference match-up of the season, facing a team that had beaten them continually for the past 10 years, Hopkins nimbly handled Haverford, taking them down by a score 3-0.
"We completely dominated in that first conference game," freshman midfielder/defender Kristen Gendron said. The first score of the game came from sophomore midfielder Lisa Irizarry, followed by sophomore forward/midfielder Molly Steele, who scored after a pass from midfielder/defender Jessie McKenzie. Senior forward/midfielder Kaitlin Giannetti stayed hot after earning last week's Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week award, hitting the Haverford net for the third and final goal of the afternoon. Hamilton dominated the net again, accruing eight saves.
The Blue Jay defense has been a tremendous team asset, allowing just two goals in five games. McKenzie and Giannetti have led the team offensively this year. McKenzie scored goals against Oneonta on Sept. 2 and on Sept. 6 against Misericordia.
Giannetti scored another two goals in the same Misericordia game, as well as scoring the game-winning shot in the Sept. 9 game against Capital. Part of the team's success may be due to their welcoming atmosphere.
"The chemistry is awesome. Everyone really supports each other," freshman forward Kate Dunn, who scored against Capital on Sept. 9, said.
"It's a similar situation to last year when we had 11 freshmen on a squad of 26," Head Coach Leo Weil said. "This year we have nine freshmen on a squad of 24. Freshmen have come in and done a great job of fitting in, and the upperclassmen have been great at accommodating them."
Weil -- the coach of the women's soccer team for the past 15 years -- has seen more than his share of success. Under Weil's leadership, the team has competed in nine postseason tournaments. With a 159-76-20 record, Weil has certainly made a mark in the Hopkins sports arena. Team practices last for two hours, six days a week, which Weil insists has helped the team remain strong late in the game. The specific components of the practice depend on what happened in the team's previous game and whether they are preparing for or recovering from a game.
Even after the impressive start, Hopkins has no time to rest on its laurels. The Jays will play two outstanding teams on the road in the coming weeks. They will face Gettysburg, with star forward Katie Myers, on Oct. 11 and Dickinson on Oct. 24, with teammates Jess Griggs and Lisa Nichols to give the Jays a run for their money. Ursinus, an up-and-coming team that the Jays will face at home on Sept. 30, will be another test for Hopkins.
The Jays finally head home this week after playing their first five games on the road. Hopkins will welcome Frostburg State on Wednesday [Editor's Note: this game concluded after press time] and conference foe Muhlenberg on Saturday at 5 p.m.
