Few Hopkins sports teams have had as interesting a ride this semester as the Hopkins field hockey team. At the start of the season, things were looking up for the Blue Jays as they took their first two games against Kean and Lebanon Valley.
After that the Jays went on a bit of a roller coaster ride as they alternated between wins and losses before hitting a five-game losing streak.
Fortunately things began to look up again when Hopkins took on Centennial Conference(CC) foe, Haverford on the 15th and came out victorious. The Lady Jays then competed against another CC member, Dickinson, and once again came out on top.
After doing a complete 180 and securing two victories in a row, the Hopkins Jays competed against Bryn Mawr on Friday, October 22nd in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania with the hopes of perpetuating their winning streak.
Not even 15 minutes into the game, senior Annie Shepard had taken control, scoring three goals and thus completing her first hat trick at Hopkins.
Shepard's first goal of the game had been assisted by fellow senior Carly Bianco. The assist gave Bianco her 50th career point and secured her a spot as one of only seventeen people in school history to hit the 50 point mark.
The Jays went into the second half of the game with Shepard's three goals putting them ahead 3-0.
Within five minutes of the whistle the Lady Jays were on fire with two more goals and a five point lead.
Juniors Maggie Phillips and Liane Tellier, who currently leads the team with 11 goals this season, scored the first and second goals in the second half respectively.
Sophomore Storm Kodde then scored for the second game in a row on an assist from freshman Danielle Thompson, increasing the Jays' lead to six goals.
Less than a minute later, sophomore Maddie Fryer scored her first goal as a Blue Jay with a follow-up by senior Kelly Schwarz who scored the eighth and final goal of the game.
Junior goalie Elizabeth Peijnenburg made one save during the game and also achieved her first career shutout.
Beyond out-scoring the Bryn Mawr Owls, the Lady Jays also outshot them 39-1 and had 29 corners whereas their opponent had none.
Shepard's three-goal feat, also known as a hat trick, is the second one accomplished by a Hopkins field hockey player this season.
Junior Maggie Philips, this season's leading scorer, also achieved a hat trick in the field hockey team's first game of the season against Kean. This in itself is an accomplishment, as no two players have had a hat trick in the same year since the 2008 season.
With another victory under their belts, the Lady Jays have improved their record to 8-7 overall. Hopkins currently stands in fourth place in the Centennial Conference with a 5-3 record. Washington College also currently maintains a 5-3 record in the CC but has a 9-6 overall record.
On Wednesday night, the ladies traveled to McDaniel to face the Green Terror. It was a terrific outing for the team.
Scoring in the 12th minute was Phillips on an assist from Shepard. A single goal was all the Terror could respond with, as the Blue Jays went on to score three more times.
Senior Emily Ortega scored a solo goal, which ended up being the game winner, about 10 minutes into the second half.
She and Tellier both added additional goals before the close of the game, sealing the deal.
Senior goalie Kim Stein had 10 saves over the course of the game, putting up a pair of five-save halves.
This game set the tone for what the team needs to carry out for the rest of the season. What the Jays displayed was an encouraging sign that the Centennial Championship is well within reach.
If Hopkins can come out victorious in its next game against CC team Gettysburg, a team ranked beneath Hopkins, they'll hold on to their top five ranking in the conference, guaranteeing them a shot at the elusive Centennial Conference Champion title.
While the Blue Jay field hockey team was deemed the CC tournament runners-up in their '06 through '09 seasons, the team hasn't been crowned champion since 2003 when they were also the CC regular season champions. But with their newly found winning streak, this could be the year that Hopkins takes back the crown.
Stay tuned as Hopkins takes on McDaniel College this Wednesday, October 26th, in Westminster, Maryland. McDaniel College currently holds sixth place in the CC with a 4-4 conference record and an overall record of 10-5.
