After three straight wins to open the season, the 18th-ranked Hopkins women’s lacrosse team suffered a setback against the 10th-ranked University of Pennsylvania Quakers, falling 10-7 in the home opener.
The Blue Jays opened the 2017 with a tough schedule, playing their first three games on the road against some tough opponents. The Jays faced a well-rested UPenn team.
“Penn is a great team who only had one game under their belt and a lot of days rest since their Delaware game,” senior midfielder Haley Schweizer said. “We had played four games in 10 days. I think our bodies started to feel it, but it is no excuse. We got drawn-out and had some careless turnovers that led to some crucial Penn possessions.”
The Jays were the first on the scoreboard, thanks to Schweizer, who capitalized on a shot just four minutes into the game. For the next 11 minutes, however, the momentum belonged to the Quakers. UPenn midfielder Alex Condon scored four consecutive goals to give Penn a 4-1 lead at the 15:25 mark in the first half.
Sophomore attack Miranda Ibello would end the Quakers scoring streak, converting on a free position opportunity to cut UPenn’s lead in half with 14:20 left to play in the half.
Nevertheless, this break for the Jays was short lived, and again, Condon would add to the Quakers’ lead with two additional tallies to give UPenn a 5-2 lead, with just over eight minutes left in the half.
Schweizer would come back with her second goal of the day to cut the lead to two with just five seconds left in on the clock. The score remained 5-3 as both teams went into the locker room.
In the second half, just over two minutes in, the Blue Jays would again be the first team on the board. Junior attack Emily Kenul capitalized on a rebound opportunity stemming from Schweizer’s free position attempt. Schweizer would then tie the game at five with her third goal of the game just over a minute later.
Schweizer was not finished. The senior scored the game’s next two goals, her fourth and fifth of the game, giving Hopkins a 7-5 lead with 22:09 left to play.
Schweizer’s five goals accounted for a majority of the Blue Jay offense, but she credited her performance to her teammates.
“Personally, I do not think anything clicked for me, aside from my teammates cutting and moving well to open up lanes for me to dodge,” Schweizer said. “The goalie was a big presence in the cage, so placement on shots and moving her by shooting high to low was also valuable.”
But the Jays lead was short-lived. From then on out it was all Quakers, as they closed the game on a 5-0 run that sealed the 10-7 win. Three of Penn’s goals came courtesy of Condon, giving her eight on the game.
“The draw dictated the momentum of the game,” Ibello said. “Unfortunately, they won more than we did. We had a lot of great opportunities in the offense, but we were not finishing them.”
Looking down the road to the postseason, the Blue Jays remain optimistic. Schweizer relayed the team’s sentiment moving forward.
“We have done a great job of staying united and supporting each other, regardless of the game’s outcome. In my four years here, this is by far the most selfless team we have had,” Schweizer said. “No one cares who scores or gets the credit, we have so much depth. Continuing to work the chemistry on offense and push each other in practice will help us to get where we want to be in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.”
