Hi everyone! Welcome back to another week of Hopkins Sports in Review! Come and join us as we take a look at some of the results from a packed weekend of competition.
Football: W (20–13)
On Friday night, our football team bounced back from a disappointing loss against Salisbury University, beating Rowan University in a closely fought game 20–13, improving their record to 3–1. The Blue Jays came blazing out of the gate, putting together an efficient drive on their first possession that finished in a touchdown to wide receiver PJ Scales. After a couple of drives that amounted to little on both sides, Rowan responded with their own TD to begin the second quarter, leveling the game at 7–7. This wouldn’t last long, as quarterback James Rinello unleashed a 30-yard pass downfield to Robby Enright for a TD that once again put Hopkins in front going into the second half.
The second half of the match reflected a shift to a more defense-oriented approach. In the third quarter, the Blue Jays weren’t able to put up any points; however, they were able to keep Rowan to only a single field goal, ensuring that they remained in the lead heading into the final quarter. Coming out of the break, Rowan was able to make the game even closer, kicking another field goal. Despite this, the Blue Jay defense was unwavering under the pressure, icing the game with two straight drives ending in an interception — one of which was returned for a TD by PJ Penders.
The football season will continue next Friday, Oct. 11 as the team travels to Pennsylvania to take on the Gettysburg College Bullets at Musselman Stadium.
Men’s Soccer: W (2–1)
With the Blue Jays traveling away from home and going up against the No. 19 team in the country, Swarthmore College, they were in for a tough contest if they wanted to emerge victorious. However, this didn’t faze them in the slightest as they burst out of the blocks and took it to the Garnets. Two goals within the first fifteen minutes scored by Ian Whamond and Jack Mendrysa established a position of dominance that wasn’t let up for the rest of the match.
Swarthmore attempted to mount somewhat of a comeback in the second half by upping the pressure and taking more shots on goal than in the first half. The Garnets managed to pull one back via a penalty kick that wasn’t able to be kept out; however, it wasn’t enough. Goalkeeper Simon Turner performed impressively, saving six shots throughout the match to ensure that the scoreline remained unchanged
The soccer team have a challenging upcoming week, facing Salisbury on Wednesday, Oct. 9, before traveling to Gettysburg for a Saturday night game on Oct. 12.
Women’s Volleyball: W (3–0), W (3–0)
The women’s volleyball team continued their impressive run to form with two victories over the weekend at the Johns Hopkins Tri-Match.
The first matchup of the day for the Blue Jays came against conference rival Ursinus College in what can only be described as a complete victory. Not only did the team win in straight sets, but they recorded 41 kills to Ursinus’ 20 while holding them to a dismal 0.012 hitting percentage in comparison to their own 0.368.
Later that afternoon, they moved on to face York University in a matchup that made the previous game look close. The No. 3 ranked Blue Jays cruised to another straight-sets victory behind an impressive defensive performance that held York to a -0.076 hitting percentage.
With the conclusion of the Tri-Match series, Hopkins moved to an impressive 15–2 record and look primed to build on the exceptional start to the season that has seen them climb in the national rankings. Their next matchup will be played this Wednesday, Oct. 9 with a rematch of last year’s Centennial Conference Championship against Gettysburg at home.
Field Hockey: W (2–0)
The field hockey team has started their season off incredibly strong, sporting an 8–2 record coming into their match against Muhlenberg College. Traveling to Scotty Wood Stadium to take on the Mules, Hopkins created a couple of early chances via penalty corners but weren’t able to capitalize in the first period. The deadlock wouldn’t last for long, though, as Lila Slattery came off the bench to score the first goal of the match.
The lone shot of the game for Muhlenberg came in the second period from a penalty corner, but Jessica Lapidus was able to make the crucial save to keep the lead for the Jays. With the third period came more chances and shots on goal for Hopkins, but the Mules were able to fend off the oncoming attacks. However, the defense was eventually broken, as Megan Chang was able to push one past the keeper in the 56th minute assisted by Slattery, as the Blue Jays cruised past Muhlenberg with a 2–0 victory.
The team will be heading to Stevenson University this Wednesday Oct. 7, before returning home for an afternoon meeting on Saturday with Haverford University at Homewood Field.
Men’s Lacrosse News
There was breaking news out of the Hopkins men’s lacrosse team yesterday as head coach Peter Milliman announced that defensive coordinator Jamison Koesterer has been promoted to Associate Head Coach.
Koesterer is a Hopkins graduate himself and has been on the coaching staff since the 2021 season. Over the last two years, the Blue Jays have performed impressively with records of 12–6 and 11–5 en route to back-to-back Big Ten Regular Season championships and the NCAA tournament quarterfinals.
Expectations will continue to be high for the men’s lacrosse team, and hopefully they can continue to assert their dominance over the Big Ten and further their success in the NCAA tournament.
