Hi everyone, welcome back to another edition of Hopkins Sports in Review! The Blue Jays had a very successful week, so come with us as we take a look at some of the best results!
Men’s and women’s cross country: Centennial Conference champions
Cross country is approaching the pointy end of its season, and this week’s action brought the Centennial Conference Championships in Newville, Penn. Both the women’s and the men’s teams were coming off a strong meet on Oct. 19, finishing in first and third place, respectively. The Blue Jays were able to continue this form as both teams emerged victorious, capping off a clean sweep of the honors for Hopkins at the Championships.
For the men’s team, junior Emmanuel Leblond won his second straight title, helping to lead Hopkins to their third straight Conference Championship. The Hopkins team backed him up strongly, finishing with five of the next six runners and rounding out the top seven of the race. For the women, Hopkins ran away with their 16th straight Championship, further cementing their domination over the Centennial Conference. Junior Adriana Catalano placed first in the race finishing as the only runner to record a time under 22 minutes at 21:57.3.
The next challenge for the cross country teams will come in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championships this Friday Nov. 9 at Westminster, Md. Good luck to all of the athletes competing!
Football: W (26–13)
After a great win last week over the formerly unbeaten Ursinus College Grizzly Bears, the Blue Jays turned their attention to Muhlenberg College, who had won their three previous games.
Hopkins fell behind 3–7 in the second quarter of the game; however, they responded quickly with a massive 49-yard touchdown from quarterback James Rinello to receiver EJ Talarico. On the brink of half-time, Carter Hogg intercepted a pass from Muhlenberg’s quarterback, placing the Jays in a great position to kick their second field goal of the day and pushing the lead to 13–7.
Muhlenberg managed to tie up the game in the third quarter off the back of a 13-yard run, but the stalemate wouldn’t last long. The Blue Jays answered with their own 83-yard drive that finished with the second touchdown of the day for Rinello in what would ultimately win the game. The performance of defensive back Carson Bourdo cannot be overstated as he played an instrumental role in the win, recording two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Field Hockey: W (6–0), W (1–0)
The Blue Jays field hockey team continued their strong run, recording two wins this week, one of which was a blowout against Dickinson College Red Devils and the other a closely fought game against Franklin and Marshall College.
The first matchup of the week came in an away match at Dickinson on Oct. 30, a team dealing with some struggles, sitting at a 5–11 record. Hopkins dealt with the Red Devils accordingly, registering at least one goal in every single period. Graduate student Lila Slattery wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, scoring her first of two goals in the seventh minute of the game. By the end of the game, Hopkins tallied 25 shots compared to Dickinson’s two, reflecting the dominating performance they put on display.
On Saturday Nov. 2, the Blue Jays continued their season as they matched up with Franklin and Marshall. The scoreline proved a lot closer than their mid-week matchup, as Slattery scored the lone goal of the match via a penalty in the third period. However, with this win, Hopkins clinched the top seed in the Centennial Conference in time for the Conference Semifinals this Thursday Nov. 7.
Women’s Soccer: W (1–0), W (4–3)
Hopkins women’s soccer continued their season this week with two matches. On Wednesday Oct. 30, the Blue Jays faced off against the strong McDaniel College Green Terror at Homewood Field, and they came up against the University of Mary Washington Eagles on Saturday Nov. 2.
Their contest with McDaniel, while seemingly close with the 1–0 score, was not all that competitive. The Green Terror initially controlled possession; however, this quickly shifted, and Hopkins began to assert themselves. Going into the half-time break, the score was level, but it didn’t take long for this to change. Junior Maria Romo-Nichols scored her fourth goal of the season in the 55th minute to give the Blue Jays a lead that they would maintain.
The match against Mary Washington on Nov. 2 proved to be a much more offensively-oriented game, with Hopkins claiming a 4–3 victory over the Eagles. The Jays struck first via a goal from defender Ella Macko. However, the Eagles would rally and take a 3–2 lead going into the final 20 minutes of the match. The Blue Jays would not rest, though, as they recovered to both equalize and take the lead within the span of 73 seconds with goals from Katie Sullivan, followed by Olivia Piraino with the winning goal.
Heading into the Centennial Conference Tournament this week, the soccer team has clinched the first seed and will be looking to defend their title. The Centennial Conference semifinals game will be at home, where the Blue Jays will take on the Dickinson Red Devils on Friday Nov. 8.
