13 games into the fall season and the Hopkins women's soccer is still perfect. The team showed no signs of letting up last Saturday afternoon at Centennial Conference rival Haverford, downing the Fords with ease, 5-1.
The Lady Jays' scoring started with sophomore defenseman Kylie Fuller early in the first half, but it certainly did not stop there. Following Fuller, goals came from freshman forward Hannah Kronick, sophomore forward Kelly Baker, freshman midfielder Maria Toulomes and senior forward Paulina Goodman.
The Fords did manage to score a lone goal in the 74th minute, but by then the Blue Jays had amassed an insurmountable five-goal lead for the team's 13th win of the season.
On the back end, the starting defense of Fuller, junior Taylor Schulte, senior Pam Kopfensteiner and senior Jessica Hnatiuk proved too much for the Haverford attackers, allowing only two shots on goal and just a single goal allowed for senior goalkeeper Kristen Redsun.
For the rookie Kronick, her goal proved to be yet another exclamation point on what is becoming a breakout freshman year. In the 12 games played, Kronick has recorded a point in each one for a total of 14 goals and six assists.
While there is often a period of transition when players go from high school to college athletics, Kronick has made the leap almost seamlessly, at least to the typical spectator, but she admits the competition is a tick up from what she is used to.
"We play so much faster, and that was definitely something that I had to get used to right away," Kronick said.
Despite that, she has proven to be a steady contributor on the undefeated Jays, currently ranked fifth in the nation.
The win over Haverford was an important one, not only for overall record, but also because Haverford and Hopkins had been the two lone unbeaten teams in the Centennial Conference. With their win on Saturday, the Blue Jays managed to take the lead in the conference over Haverford and maintain a half game lead over Dickinson with only four games remaining on the schedule.
The Blue Jays now stand at 13-0 with a perfect 6-0 record in conference, and their wins have not been close. In a sport where 1-0 scores are the norm rather than the exception, the women's team has been averaging an astounding four goals per game while allowing a sparse 0.46, including nine shutouts between goaltenders Redsun, junior Meredith Maguire, sophomore Kelly Leddy and freshman Meredith Stock.
Despite the regular season success and the opportunity for postseason glory, head Coach Leo Weil knows it is important not to look too far ahead.
"Part of our theme this year is taking things one game at a time, not trying to look too far ahead," Coach Weil said.
Kronick echoed her coach's sentiments.
"I think that one thing Coach does really well is constantly remind us of our goals that we set forth at the beginning of the season. It is really easy to get lost during such a long season, but he keeps us focused."
However, it's also difficult not to acknowledge their ultimate goal is a DIII championship. For Coach Weil and his women's soccer program, just about every other accomplishment has been achieved.
In seasons prior, Hopkins has done exceptionally, sporting a 69-9-5 record since 2008 in the regular season and six straight conference crowns since 2005. At this point, the only unreached objective is the national title.
Although his sights are primarily set on their next game, Weil hopes to change his NCAA tournament fortunes soon.
"[We are] basically playing with the same principles, but [there is now more] high pressuring in the attacking third, and more movement, switching positions with our attacking players," he said. The changes have worked well.
Coaching an undefeated team is far from easy. Weil has been at the helm of the Hopkins women's soccer program since its inception in 1992, and over the years he has found that "the most difficult thing for me is deciding who plays and how much they play."
"It's a difficult adjustment for our players that were one of the best…on their high school and club teams, and when they come to Hopkins, that's not always the case."
Still, if the success of his teams is any indication of how he has handled his players, Coach Weil has certainly done a tremendous job.
Next up is out-of-state rival Bryn Mawr this Saturday, followed by conference rivals Dickinson and Gettysburg to close out the season. Follow the Blue Jays as they fight for another Centennial title and NCAA tournament run.
