The men’s soccer team has been experiencing a competitive year. After starting the first five games of the season without a loss, the Jays had minor setbacks in back-to-back losses to York and Haverford. With the potential for a three-game losing streak lurking in the backs of their minds, the Jays battled through adversity when they welcomed Swarthmore to Baltimore for a showdown at Homewood Field this past weekend.
Swarthmore has had its fair share of success this season, owning the 25th overall ranking nationally in D-III soccer. However, that impressive statistic meant very little to the Jays. In a thrilling matchup between two teams clawing for their first Centennial Conference victory, Hopkins came out on top thanks to a last breath free kick from senior Kotaro Mitsuhashi. In the 93rd minute of the contest in the heart of extra time, Mitsuhashi boomed a kick that found its way to the back of the net, sending the Jays home victorious. Sophomore Samy Ramadane, who earned the honor of Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week, chipped in in large fashion as well, scoring two goals within two minutes of each other to tie the score for the Jays in the final 15 minutes of the second half. Ramadane’s clutch performance set the tone for the rest of the game before Mitsuhashi ended it in dramatic fashion.
Despite the very positive outcome at the end of the match, the opening moments of the game did not favor the Jays. Swarthmore was able to capitalize in the first half by notching a goal past sophomore goalkeeper Matt Paris in the 39th minute. The Garnet were able to control possession for a majority of the half, but the Jays’ defense stood tall to keep the game close before the halftime buzzer.
Coming out for the second half, the Jays had their eyes set on knotting the game at one, but Swarthmore had other plans. In the 58th minute, David Geschwind scored for the Garnet to double their lead and put the Jays on the wrong end of a 2-0 deficit. However, Ramadane was equal to the task, as the boys in baby blue refused to go down without a fight. In the 61st minute, Ramadane nailed a penalty kick past the sprawling Swarthmore goalie to make it 2-1. Shortly thereafter, the sophomore stealthily worked some defensive magic, intercepting a pass and taking the ball down the right side of the field before ripping a shot into the top left corner for the equalizer.
The game went back and forth the rest of the way, as each team generated scoring chances. However, it was Hopkins who managed to capitalize first. Mitsuhashi, in the 91st minute, just missed putting in the game-winning goal as his shot was blocked by a Garnet defender. However, a second handball of the day allowed the star senior another opportunity to put the game away.
The second time around, Mitsuhashi had no trouble.
He placed a perfect shot into the bottom right corner and sent the Jays home with a critical victory. Not only was it the first Centennial Conference win of the season for the Jays, but it also marked the first win over a ranked opponent since 2011. Ironically enough, that win came against Swarthmore as well. The win pushed the Jays to 5-2-1 overall for the season and 1-1 in the conference, while Swarthmore fell to 6-2-1 and 0-2 in the conference, still searching for that first CC win. Ramadane shared his thoughts with The News-Letter following the victory.
“We had an overall strong and convincing performance against a tough, nationally ranked opponent,” Ramadane said. “After going down by two goals, it would have been a very easy response for us to lose confidence in our game. Instead, we stayed true to the system we are trying to play, and it paid off. Playing with that mental toughness and spirit is what has been key to our success so far this season. I am confident that as long as we continue with the same mentality and work to improve our weaknesses, we will experience more success.”
The Jays will try to stay hot following the win this week when they face off against two more Centennial foes. Wednesday night, the boys take on Gettysburg before matching up against the Red Devils of Dickinson on Saturday.
