The women’s soccer team had their Senior Day game Saturday against the Ursinus College Bears and asserted their dominance for the duration to win 5-1. The last regular season Saturday home game gave the team a chance to honor their six seniors in a ceremony before the game.
The seniors were represented well from the start as senior defender Toni Abate assisted the first goal of the game when she sent a corner kick into the box and junior midfielder Maggie Coulson put it into the back of the net to give Hopkins a 1-0 lead.
Just over 10 minutes later in the 23rd minute the Blue Jays would add on to their lead. Graduate student forward Michelle Santangelo managed to slightly redirect a cross from sophomore defender Mizuho Obayashi from just inside the box. The redirection managed to just sneak inside the far post to double the lead for the Blue Jays.
While that concluded the first half scoring, Santangelo and the Blue Jays were not satisfied with just a 2-0 lead. They came out firing in the second half, as Coulson got the scoring going in the 49th minute when she got to the ball outside the box after a series of deflections and managed to volley into the corner for her second goal of the game.
The second goal by Coulson gave her the team lead with nine goals scored on the season, one ahead of Santangelo, but it would not be long before Santangelo tied and Coulson then retook sole possession of the lead again. Just three minutes after Coulson’s goal, she had possession of the ball outside of the box where she crossed it in to Santangelo who managed to get a head on it and put it inside the far post once more.
As icing on the cake, in the 57th minute Coulson once again took possession just outside the box, and this time she maneuvered through the Ursinus defense toward the goal. Just when it seemed like she would get her own hat trick goal, she passed to Santangelo once again for an easy tap in to give Santangelo the hat trick instead.
With the game in hand, freshman goalie Hannah Lynn came in for her second appearance of the year and got her first save of her career by diving to block one of the two Ursinus shots.
In the 80th minute, however, Lynn could not stop a free kick by the Bears, and they scored what would eventually be their only goal of the game.
The goal was uncharacteristic of the Blue Jays defense, as it was only the third goal surrendered by them all year in Conference play.
The game was controlled from start to finish by the Blue Jays, as they outshot the Bears 28-2.
Coulson commented on the team’s performance.
“We had a great week of practices leading up to the game and everyone did a great job maintaining possession,” Coulson said.
Coulson finished the game with two goals and two assists, adding six points to her already impressive total on the season.
With nine goals on the season, Coulson is tied for third place in the Conference, and her four assists have her tied for fourth place. Santangelo has 10 goals, which puts her in second place, as well as 21 points which is fourth best in the Conference.
This game carried some more significance than other games this season because it was Senior Day.
“All of our seniors have been a huge part of our program all 4 years and it’s been amazing getting to know them during my time here. We’re going to miss their leadership, personalities and support so much next year, so everyone was really excited to make sure they had an amazing senior day,” Coulson said.
The Blue Jays honored Santangelo, Abate, as well as senior defender Kayla Blair, senior defender Cristina Madalo, senior forward Kristen Hori and senior goalie Ryenne Dietrick.
Santangelo’s hat trick was the fifth of her career, which ties her for the most in Hopkins history. In addition, it earned her the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time this season.
The Blue Jays will close out their season and hope to finish Conference play undefeated against the Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats Saturday on the road. The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
