The Hopkins women’s lacrosse team beat the Ohio State University (OSU) Buckeyes in a Conference duel in Columbus, Ohio this past Saturday morning. The 12-6 win puts the Blue Jays at 10-5 on the season and 2-3 in the Big Ten, with just two games remaining in the regular season. With the loss, OSU falls to 6-11 on the season and 0-6 in Conference play.
Junior attacker Emily Kenul opened the game’s scoring with two goals just over three minutes apart to give Hopkins a 2-0 lead at the 24:36 mark. For the first goal, Kenul scored off a dodge by the door step. For the second goal, freshman attacker Maggie Schneidereith picked up the assist, finding Kenul in the right alley from the goal line extended.
The Blue Jays scored again at the 16:48 mark when senior attacker Alexis Maffucci was positioned behind the goal and found junior attacker CeCe Finney in the left alley, who capitalized on the opportunity to put the Jays up 3-0.
The Buckeyes then cut into the Jays’ momentum with goals from sophomore midfielders Mackenzie Maring and Baley Parrott, making it a one-goal game at the 7:22 mark in the first half. However, senior midfielder Haley Schweizer restored the Jays’ two-goal lead with 1:56 left to play in the first half. She scored on an unassisted goal from 10 yards out to make the score 4-2 as the teams headed for the locker rooms.
With the game tight at halftime, the team attempted to regroup while in the locker room in order to put the game away in the second half.
“We talked a lot about moving our feet in offense and just putting ourselves in the shoes we were in during practice all week. We had a great week of practice and moved easily and looked great. [We just got] our minds in a more relaxed rather than frantic state and realized we’ve done all this before,” Schweizer said.
The game remained competitive throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half, as the teams traded goals to open play. The Buckeyes’ attacker Molly Wood cut the Blue Jays’ lead in half after just 21 seconds into the second half. With a little under 27 minutes remaining in the game, Maffucci earned a goal from the left post, assisted by junior defender Emily Verica.
Ohio State pulled ahead again after midfielder Sage Darling scored with just over 20 minutes left to play in the half, bringing the score to 5-4.
From then on, Hopkins seized control of the game. Junior midfielder Maggie Friel opened up a five-goal run for Hopkins with a goal off a dodge nine yards out, bringing the score to 6-4. A minute and a half later, Kenul sealed a hat trick when she buried an unassisted goal into the back of the net.
Schweizer and Maffucci scored the game’s next two goals less than two minutes apart. Schweizer’s goal came unassisted, and Maffucci’s came off a assist by Kenul, stemming from a free-position chance. Finney then opened the lead to 10-4 on a goal from the slot assisted by Schweizer, with 12:06 remaining in the second half.
The Buckeyes cut into the deficit with a pair of goals, courtesy of Parrott and midfielder Paulina Constant, with less than three minutes separating the strikes. Parrott’s goal was off a free-position chance, while Constant’s was an unassisted goal from the middle of the fan. The goals would bring the score to 10-6 with seven minutes to go.
The Blue Jays, however, scored the last goals. Schneidereith added two more goals for the Blue Jays in a span of 18 seconds.
The first came thanks to an assist by sophomore midfielder Nicole DeMase, and the second came off an assist from Schweizer, following a free-position chance. Neither team scored in the game’s final five minutes, as Hopkins sealed a solid 12-6 road win.
Key to the Blue Jays’ effort was a strong performance in net by senior goalie Caroline Federico, who made 10 saves during the game.
“I think everyone stepped up and did their job. Federico was making huge saves in the cage, our defense was not letting OSU’s offense get into a rhythm and on attack everyone was moving and playing off of each other really well. All the pieces came together,” DeMase said.
Hopkins wraps up regular season play with two games this week. On Thursday night, they will play under the lights at Homewood Field in their last home game this season.
The team will play their Conference rival, the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights, on senior night, where they will honor the seven graduating seniors for their contributions to the program.
The game will have particular importance, as both teams currently sit at 2-3 in Big Ten Conference play and will battle for the final spot in the Big Ten Tournament. The Tournament will take place next weekend in College Park, Md. First draw is at 6 p.m.
DeMase commented on the team’s mentality as the season comes to an end.
“With only two games left in the regular season, we are working hard in practice everyday to end the regular season on a high note, make it into the Big Ten Tournament and then into the NCAA tournament. Everyone is focused and motivated to keep our season going for as long as possible,” DeMase said.
On Sunday, Hopkins will travel across town to close out their season against the 11-5 Towson University Tigers.
