Jan. 4, 2010

2009 Season Review Notebook in PDF Format

Despite graduating one of the most decorated classes in program history and facing a schedule that included just five home games, the Johns Hopkins field hockey team won 11 of its first 14 games and finished at 13-6 on the season.

JHU opened the season with a four-game win streak and allowed just one goal during that span. The Blue Jays played Virginia Wesleyan at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center in the season-opener and got goals from four different players in a 4-0 win. Four days later, Hopkins took on Kenyon at nearby Stevenson University in the Black-Eyed Susan Tournament. Senior Kelly Kimmerling led the way in a 7-0 win with a pair of goals as six different Blue Jays found the back of the cage on the afternoon. Senior Brittany Bland and junior Ariana Branchini each netted a pair of assists in the win as well.

Hopkins followed that up with its third consecutive shutout, a 2-0 win at Washington & Lee. It marked the first time since 1989 and just the second time in program history that the Blue Jays had opened the season with three straight shutouts. Senior Gabi Henn scored the eventual game-winner just over 13 minutes into the game and freshman Meghan Kellett tallied her first career collegiate goal, while senior Sophia Tieu stopped all four shots she faced in the win.

The next day, Hopkins found itself in unfamiliar territory - the Blue Jays were trailing, 1-0, less than 12 minutes into the game against Eastern Mennonite. Hopkins would rally behind goals from junior Jenn Motylinski and senior Catie Farrow to win 2-1. The Blue Jays then traveled to the Eastern Shore to take on the second-ranked Salisbury Sea Gulls. In 2008, Hopkins stunned second-ranked and unbeaten Salisbury, 1-0, at Homewood Field on a Zoe Koven goal with no time remaining. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, history would not repeat itself. The Sea Gulls scored a pair of goals in the first six minutes of the game, en route to a 5-1 win over the visiting Blue Jays. Branchini would score the lone Hopkins' goal on a penalty stroke early in the second half.

Hopkins finally returned home to open Centennial Conference play with rival Gettysburg. The series between the Blue Jays and the Bullets has been a tightly contested one over the years and the 2009 meeting did not disappoint. Senior Andrea Vandersall put the home team on the board first less than three minutes into the second half. But 13th-ranked Gettysburg answered just over five minutes later. That would be all the scoring for more than 57 minutes as the teams battled through two scoreless overtimes. The winner would be decided in a strokeoff. Hopkins got a pair of saves from Tieu, while all four Blue Jay shooters nailed their shots as JHU prevailed 4-2 in the strokeoff.

The overtime heroics continued for the Blue Jays as they needed extra time to hold off the upset-minded Swarthmore Garnet in their next outing. Bland scored both of JHU's goals, including the winner just over four minutes into the first overtime period, to lift Hopkins to a 2-1 win. The Blue Jays needed the extra stanza after the Garnet scored off a penalty corner with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game.

Hopkins picked up its third straight Centennial Conference win three days later, downing visiting Dickinson, 4-1. Four different players scored for the Blue Jays, while sophomore Kim Stein made six second-half saves to preserve the win. Hopkins then hit the road and opened October at Haverford. The Fords broke a 2-2 tie with just 3:40 remaining in the game to stun the ninth-ranked Blue Jays and snap a 10-game losing streak to Hopkins. It had been exactly 11 years to the date that the Blue Jays last lost to the Fords.

The Blue Jays responded to the loss by beating the eighth-ranked TCNJ Lions on the road in overtime, 2-1. TCNJ got on the board early, scoring less than two minutes in. But Branchini would score a pair of goals, including the winner on a penalty stroke with just over five minutes remaining in the second overtime, to give Hopkins its first ever win over TCNJ. Tieu came up huge in the cage for the Blue Jays after checking into the game at the half, stopping all eight shots she faced through nearly 60 minutes of action.

JHU dodged another upset bullet on October 9 at Washington College as Motylinski scored the game's only goal with less than two minutes remaining to defeat the Shorewomen, 1-0. The following week, Hopkins once again had to rally after surrendering an early goal at Franklin & Marshall. Branchini scored with just 25 seconds remaining in the first half to knot the score at 1-1. Kellett would then score her first career game-winner just over four minutes into the second stanza as the Blue Jays went on to win 2-1.

Hopkins returned home for just its third home game of the season, facing Muhlenberg on a cold and rainy Homewood Field. The two would need overtime to decide a winner, making it the 14th time in 19 meetings that the two played into extra time. With just over five minutes remaining in the second overtime, the Mules scored on a semi-breakaway to stun the 10th-ranked Blue Jays for the second straight year. The following week, Hopkins blanked visiting Bryn Mawr, 7-0, behind a pair of goals each from Henn and Kimmerling. The next day, JHU traveled to 18th-ranked Christopher Newport and dropped a tough 3-1 decision. Sophomore Amy Wharton put the Blue Jays on the board first, but her goal was answered by three straight from the Captains. The Blue Jays then got back into Centennial Conference play, hosting the Green Terror of McDaniel. Sophomore Carly Bianco and Henn each scored in the first half as Hopkins secured its fifth consecutive Centennial Conference Tournament berth with a 2-0 win over McDaniel.

Hopkins ended the regular season with a tough loss at third-ranked Ursinus. With the game tied at 1-1 less than eight minutes in, the Bears rattled off four straight to take a commanding 5-1 lead early in the second half before winning 8-3. Bland and Branchini led the way for the Blue Jays with a goal and an assist each. Earning the third seed in the conference tournament, Hopkins squared off against second-seeded Gettysburg in the semifinals. After combining for just two goals in 100 minutes of action in the regular season, the Blue Jays and the Bullets put up seven goals in 70 minutes. Hopkins stormed out to a 4-1 lead at the half behind a pair of goals from Branchini, but Gettysburg would not go away quietly. The Bullets scored a pair of goals just 50 seconds apart to make it a 4-3 game with just over 22 minutes to play. That would be all the scoring though, as both defenses clamped down and Hopkins held on to win and advance to the Centennial Conference finals for the fourth straight year.

For the fourth straight year, the Blue Jays and the Bears would meet in the conference title game. Unfortunately for Hopkins, the fourth time was not the charm as Ursinus scored three goals in each half to win 6-0 and end the Blue Jays' season. Tieu, playing in her final game for the Blue Jays, turned aside 21 shots, a career-high and school Centennial Conference Tournament record.

At the end of the season Bland, Branchini and Wharton were all honored for their play throughout the season. Branchini earned Second Team All-Centennial honors before being named a first team all-region pick and a third team All-American by both the NFHCA and womensfieldhockey.com. Bland was selected to the Second Team All-Centennial and NFHCA All-Region teams as well as the NFHCA Senior All-Star game. Wharton garnered First Team All-Centennial Conference and Second Team NFHCA All-Region honors for the first time in her career and became the first sophomore back in program history to earn all-region honors.

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