A year after being bounced out of the 2010 Division III Championships in the third round, the Hopkins women's soccer team hoped to start the 2011 campaign on a bright note. The team has definitely accomplished that much and more by starting the season 7-0 en route to capturing their first two tournaments of the season.
Last year, the women's team finished 19-4-1 with a tough loss against Messiah in the NCAA tournament. The team won the Centennial Conference for the sixth year in a row over Dickinson.
This year, the Blue Jays look just as good, and their leaders accredit much of their fast start to a strong freshman class and the close-knit camaraderie.
"Our biggest obstacle this year was filling key positions," senior captain Erica Suter said. "We were very fortunate to get such a talented freshman class, and many of them have really stepped up. We also have a good core group returning, and we all have grown so much."
Suter believes the team will reach their goals—to win the conference and make a national championship run--but also notes that they need to stay sharp throughout the long haul.
"Our biggest task will be to stay focused and to not let being undefeated get to our heads," she said. "We have the raw materials, so now it is just mental. This is definitely the closest our team has ever been."
Senior forward Paulina Goodman echoed Suter's sentiments. She believes the Jays are prepared for the rest of the season.
"I expect this team to outplay every team we come against," Goodman said. "Our team has improved every year since I've been here, and we are playing at a level now that should shut down other teams."
Hopkins has done just that, posting 3-0, 5-0 and 3-0 wins this past week against Stevenson, Washington College and St. Mary's (MD), respectively.
The Stevenson game, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14th, was postponed after several weather delays until the following evening, where Hopkins eventually posted the shutout.
"The first Stevenson game was probably the weirdest game I've ever played," Goodman said. "We essentially had an hour of sitting around in the middle of what should have been playing time. Honestly it was difficult to stay focused, although it was frustrating to have to start the game over the next day."
In the end, Goodman and the team were happy to have the ability to re-focus and tally the win.
In doing so, Suter became the school's all-time leading goal scorer, notching her 107th point of her career to break a scoreless tie late in the first half.
"In terms of breaking the record, it is what it is. I guess it is cool that it has not been broken since the early days of the program in the 1990s, but obviously the evolution of the game has changed, so yes, it just is what it is," she said.
Less than two minutes later, freshman Hannah Kronick scored her first of two goals on the night, lifting the Lady Jays to their three-goal victory.
Hopkins returned to action on Saturday against the Washington Shorewomen, kicking Centennial conference action off. The Jays had little trouble with Washington College, who finished last in the CC a year ago, as five different Blue Jays scored one goal apiece in the 5-0 win.
Among the goal scorers in the game were Goodman, freshman midfielder/forward Sydney Teng, Suter, sophomore forward Kelly Baker and junior defenseman Laura Moody. Goodman and Suter also tallied assists.
On Wednesday, the Jays battled in-state rival St. Mary's College, and, as usual, the Seahawks were no match for Hopkins. The Lady Jays took the lead off a Kronick goal in the 15th-minute, and Suter and sophomore midfielder Pam Vranis added goals of their own in the second half for insurance.
Vranis' goal was her first of the season and was assisted by the do-it-all Kronick.
Kronick, who hails from Westfield, New Jersey, is second on the Jays with seven goals, only trailing Suter who has netted ten.
Hopkins is currently ranked seventh in the latest NSCAA Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week and ranked second in this week's NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Poll. The team is happy with the early success, but is unsure of how much to put into their ranking.
"I am thrilled with our performance this year," Goodman said. "I'd say that our record shows off the kind of team we have- one with a strong offensive strategy that maintains a solid defense.
"It's hard to say whether our ranking is appropriate, since we don't really know how good the teams ranked above us are. Hopefully we can just continue to move up the ranks by winning every game."
The team hopes to continue its undefeated run this week with a Centennial conference match-up against Muhlenberg this Saturday. They hope this will keep them on pace to reach their goals.
"We just need to continue to remain focused throughout the year," Suter said. "[Fellow senior captain] Pam Kopfensteiner and I believe our team is much more soccer savvy than last year, and the chemistry is so much better. We are just excited to prove all of our critics wrong."
