The Hopkins field hockey team has proven time and time again this season that they are a force to be reckoned with. This weekend was no exception. For the Jays 2019 Centennial Conference debut, the Jays traveled to Chestertown, Md. to duke it out on Washington College’s home field. Hopkins field hockey would emerge from the contest not only victorious, but with a new record for the highest scoring game this season after defeating the Shorewomen 8-1.
Many teams rest on their laurels when victory has been assured, but not Hopkins field hockey. Junior forward Valerie Henderson commented on how the team was able to stay focused and energized to continue to rack up goals long after the team had scored enough to secure the win.
“We always yell ‘don’t settle’ after we score, no matter what the score of the game is. It helps us strive for more no matter the conditions of the game. Also, this game was really fun because so many different people scored, so it was exciting to cheer for each other,” Henderson said.
The first Jay shot would hit the back of the goal at 5:54 in the first period, courtesy of sophomore midfielder Bryn Rolon. Rolon took advantage of a rebound off the Shorewomen goalie following a shot from sophomore Izzy Thompson and buried the first goal of her Hopkins career.
It wouldn’t take long for the Jays to extend the lead to two, as sophomore forward Maddie Brown-Scherer would work her way past the Washington defense and rifle a shot into the back of the net to put the Jays up 2-0 at the end of the first.
From there, the Jays rattled off three goals in less than five minutes to take full control in the second period. Brown-Scherer would tally her second goal of the day when the Shorewomen failed to get the ball out of their zone, which gave the sophomore an opportunity to score in transition to extend the lead.
Senior midfielder Katie McErlean would follow less than two minutes later, dribbling her way through the defense and finding the cage for her fifth goal of the year. Thompson would be the fourth different Blue Jay to score with the help of an assist by junior midfielder Danika Berman to put Hopkins way ahead at 5-0 as the half concluded.
Washington had a hard time maintaining possession against a vicious Hopkins defensive unit, and the Shorewomen were unable to record a single shot until the third quarter. Hopkins meanwhile took advantage of the Shorewomen’s struggles by firing off seven shots in the third, three of which found their way into the Washington goal.
The first came courtesy of Henderson, with her first goal of the season off of a nifty backhand shot after grabbing a free ball. Number two marked the first career goal for freshman forward Sam Chabot who tipped in a pass from sophomore midfielder Abby Birk.
The third goal of the period would see another milestone reached, as Brown-Scherer earned her first career hat trick with her third goal of the night and eighth of the season to finish off the Jay’s impressive eight-point run.
The Shorewomen finally managed to get past the Hopkins defense in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to score their first and only goal at 46:39 after a flurry of shots at the Hopkins net ended the shutout. With just under 15 minutes left to recover from a daunting seven-point deficit, it was too late for the Shorewomen to mount a comeback.
The Jays sealed up whatever holes might have been left in the defense immediately after and refused to let the Shorewomen get any more momentum. As time expired, the Jays emerged with a convincing 8-1 win against their Centennial Conference foe.
Henderson spoke about some of the skills the team has been working on that were put on display during this matchup.
“We have talked a lot about setting the pace of the game, especially when our opponents have a much different style of play than us. I think this game was a great example of putting these words in action,” Henderson said.
The Jays will return to the field at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 when they travel to Haverford College to take on the Fords in another Centennial Conference contest.
