On Friday, the Hopkins field hockey team traveled to Gettysburg for their regular season finale. Coming off of two straight conference wins against Bryn Mawr College and McDaniel College, the Lady Jays knew their competition would be much stiffer against conference power Gettysburg College.
Nonetheless, they were a team with a hot offense and a goalie playing so superbly that the Lady Jays would only need to score one or two goals to win. Going into Friday’s game it looked as if the Jays might have been poised for playoff success, if only they could sneak in with a win.
As expected, both keepers controlled the first half of play, as the Jays’ senior Elizabeth Peijnenburg and the Bullets’ netminder Megan Feeg combined to record 12 saves in the first half of the game.
It was not until the second half, at the 46:17 mark, that Gettysburg’s Kelly Madden netted the first goal of the day off a deflection that went past a diving, outstretched Peijnenburg. Nearly 10 minutes later, at the 56:10 mark, Gettysburg’s Ally Duggan converted a penalty stroke, giving the Bullets a two-goal lead. Duggan's tally turned out to be all the insurance Gettysburg needed, as Feeg played lights out in net, recording 13 saves in notching her second shutout of the season.
With limited offensive action on the day for the Jays, Peijnenburg played exceptionally well to keep Hopkins in the game. Her two goals allowed were on a one-timer off of a deflection and on a penalty stroke, both difficult situations for any goaltender to be in. Betsy, as the senior netminder is affectionately called by her teammates, recorded 12 saves in what turned out to be her final collegiate match.
Freshman Kiana Duncan also recorded a defensive save in the losing effort.
Hopkins outshot Gettysburg 21-18, but ultimately the Jays were unable to put the ball past Bullets netminder Fees.
To have made the Centennial Conference playoffs for the eighth straight season, Hopkins needed Muhlenberg College to beat Ursinus College on Saturday. However, the stars did not align for the Jays, as Ursinus outlasted Muhlenberg 2-1 off a deflection goal in the 37th minute of play, effectively eliminating the Lady Jays from postseason play.
Hopkins finished the year 5-5 in conference play, and 8-9 overall. While they had the same conference record as Washington College, the Blue Jays lost to the Shoremen in a heartbreaking overtime loss way back in September. It was the only time the two teams squared off this season, and it was the head to head loss against Washington College that ultimately kept the Blue Jays out of the Centennial Conference playoffs.
In discussing the loss, the team's outlook for next season, and the extra motivation provided by the season's difficult end, junior Sarah Henderson said “We need to replace all of our seniors; They were awesome and all started...Next year I have confidence in our two goalies who will have to work hard to start and keep our defense strong. I'm looking forward to playing in the spring and starting to prepare for next year. Lastly, the rising senior class will be great and put us in position to make a run at the Centennial Conference again.”
Fellow junior Storm Kodde took it a step further saying that “I honestly think the seniors all played tremendous roles this season. They really drove our team and will leave big footprints to fill. However, with that being said, I am so excited for next year. We have a lot of young talent and I can't wait to see where that is going to take us."
As juniors this season, Both Henderson and Kodde will become part of the leadership looking to bring Hopkins back to the Centennial Conference tournament in 2013.
These young women are determined to get their teams back in postseason contention, and along with the rising talent, the Lady Jays look to be poised for success next season.
The team will graduate five seniors, including standout goaltender Peijnenbyrg and top scorer Liane Tellier. However, the Blue Jays will also return a strong core looking to improve on this season’s performance.
While you hate to see such a talented senior class graduate without success in their final season, they gave it one hell of a last minute push. While the season’s ending was one of disappointment with the end of an impressive postseason streak, the underclassmen talent provide hope for the future.
These young ladies are determined to start a new streak of their own.
