The women’s soccer team had an impressive week going 2-0 against Stevenson and the College of New Jersey (TCNJ). While many of the Lady Jays had impressive games, senior forward Hannah Kronick’s performance stands in distinction.
The Blue Jays entered the second half of the game against the 10th ranked TCNJ Lions with the score tied at 0-0. Then Kronick began to work her magic. After 62 minutes into regulation, Kronick scored her first goal off the rebound of a free kick by sending the ball past TCNJ’s goalkeeper, Kendra Griffith. The game was at the 79th minute when junior midfielder Maryalice McKenna crossed to Kronick, who crushed a header into the back of the net. The Blue Jays held onto their 2-0 lead and would win the game off of Kronick’s two goals by a score of 2-1.
With her two goals against TCNJ, Kronick captured the all-time career points record for the Centennial Conference. Kronick beat out Dickinson alumna Alyssa Carlow ('03) for the top spot with 171 points for her career. Kronick is also now tied with Carlow for the Centennial Conference all-time goal-scoring record with a total of 71. With her next goal Kronick will officially capture the league’s all-time goal-scoring record. Kronick currently leads the Centennial Conference with 13 points and six goals.
Due to her impressive play this past week, Kronick was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week. This is Kronick’s first player of the week award for the season and the 10th of her career.
With her impressive play and her outstanding performance on the field this week, The News-Letter has chosen Kronick to be our Athlete of the Week. Kronick was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for us:
News-Letter: What fueled you in the second half of the TCNJ game? What sparked the incredible performance?
Hannah Kronick: Once the second half started, I think the entire team was fired up. We played well in the first half, and it definitely gave us confidence going into the second half. The confidence is really what I think fueled our performance.
N-L: How has your coach influenced you these past three seasons, and how has he influenced your impeccable play this year?
HK: Our coaching staff motivates us to always play our best. We have a very large team this year with a ton of depth, so everyone knows how important it is to play their best when they have their chance.
N-L: Coming into the season ranking in the top ten, how do the two early losses set up your team going into the rest of the season?
HK: The two losses were disappointing for us. However, I think with Saturday night's win we definitely have managed to bounce back. We are becoming very confident with how well we have been playing the past week, and I hope that it carries through to the rest of the season.
N-L: What are your personal goals for this season? What are your team goals for this season?
HK: Personally, I always just hope that I can do whatever I can to help this team succeed. As a team, our goal is to win a national championship, but before that we want to win the conference. Every game and opponent is very important to us, so we just try to be successful one game at a time.
N-L: This being your senior season, how do you want your legacy at Hopkins to be remembered?
HK: I’m not much about the individual attention for my legacy at Hopkins. I just hope I have influenced my teammates to work hard and shown them how important work ethic is and how it can lead to success. I just hope I have had a positive impact on my teammates and the program as not only a player but also as a person and a leader.
Kronick will look to continue her dominance over the duration of her final season. She will lead the team this Saturday, Sept. 20, against Washington College, marking the team's first Centennial Conference competition.
