Over the weekend, the Hopkins men’s soccer team fell to Dickinson in a hard-fought 90 minutes. There were many ups and downs in action throughout the game coming from two teams that have a combined 13 wins this season.
Coming into the game, Head Coach Craig Appleby had prepared his team to play in a more aggressive style of offense going against the highly ranked Red Devils.
“All year we have been trying to play a more possessive style, and that doesn’t change based on who we are playing,” junior defender Kenny DeStefano said about his coach’s plan heading into game. “Through the midfield we are very talented and technical so we try to take advantage of that and pass the ball faster than the defense can react.”
Hopkins did just that throughout the first half, outshooting the Red Devils 4-3.
Heading into the second half, both teams remained scoreless and neither was letting up. At the 77th minute, DeStefano received a pass from junior teammate Josh Hong and fired a shot from 15 yards out, heading straight for the far post. Red Devils goalie Reed Milbrath made a diving save, knocking the ball out and keeping the game tied at 0-0.
In the 90th minute, Red Devil Will Bracken capitalized on a corner kick, putting Dickinson up 1-0. Red Devils teammate Lucas Masiado played the corner into the box, but Hopkins senior goalie Nick Cerrone punched the ball out. It landed near Dickinson’s Matthew Edmonds, who kicked the ball to the far post where Bracken headed it to the back of the net.
“The last five to 10 minutes of regulation in a tied game are very tense for both teams,” DeStefano said. “There were chances for both sides, the ball just gave a favorable bounce to the other team and they capitalized.”
With the goal coming in the last twenty seconds, Hopkins did not have time to manufacture a come back. Hopkins now drops to 6-3-1 overall and 2-2-0 in the Centennial Conference. The Jays now rank fifth in the conference and will have to rise in the standings in order to make the playoffs.
“We definitely aim to make the conference playoffs, as we have consistently in the past, and we would love to get another chance to battle with Dickinson,” DeStefano said. “Results aside, it was a very competitive game, which are always fun.”
With five conference games remaining in their regular season, the Jays will be looking to maintain their winning record.
“Winning is contagious, and I feel like we got off to a really good start this year so now every time we take the field, we are expecting a good result,” DeStefano said. “When this is your mentality, you find a way to score goals, which we have been doing.”
The Jays will face off against top-ranked Franklin & Marshall and fourth ranked Muhlenberg before they call an end to their season. Undefeated F&M present the biggest challenge so far, and the Jays are adamantly preparing for the game.
“Our league is very competitive this year and results can go either way in a lot of games,” DeStefano said. “We are continuing to improve every week, hoping to have an exciting finish to the year.”
The Jays take the field again Saturday to face off against Ursinus in Collegeville, Pa. The team looks to bounce back and grab another win to help improve its chances of making the Centennial Conference playoffs.
