Dec. 5, 2008

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The 2008 season was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the Johns Hopkins field hockey team. The Blue Jays won 11 straight games to open the season and climbed as high as third in the nation, both school records. However, Hopkins went just 5-4 down the stretch and lost at home in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The season opened with the annual Black-Eyed Susan Tournament hosted by Stevenson University. Hopkins rolled to the title with wins over 10th-ranked Christopher Newport (8-2) and Delaware Valley (4-0). Senior Emily Miller paced the Hopkins offense in the two wins, scoring four goals and notching nine total points, while freshman goalie Kim Stein gave up just two goals in two games. Hopkins hit the road a week later and got a pair of goals from Miller and junior Catie Farrow to beat Roanoke 6-1.

The Blue Jays then returned to Stevenson University for a pair of games. Hopkins knocked off its second ranked team of the young season, beating #18 Lynchburg 2-1 behind goals from senior Leah Horton and Miller. The following day, JHU fell behind early to a tough Washington & Lee team, but rebounded to win 2-1 in overtime. Junior Brittany Bland would tie the game in the second half before Horton’s game-winner just 58 seconds into the extra stanza.

That set up a showdown between Hopkins and Salisbury, both undefeated and ranked in the top 10. Freshman Zoe Koven’s first career goal was a big one, as the Blue Jays ended an eight-game losing streak to the Sea Gulls. Koven scored off a penalty corner with no time on the clock to send the Blue Jays rushing onto the field to celebrate. The win tied the program record for highest ranked team ever beaten as Salisbury was the second-ranked team in the nation.

Just two days later, Hopkins hit the road for its Centennial Conference opener at #15 Gettysburg. Miller would single-handily outscore the Bullets with her fifth career hat trick as the Blue Jays held on for a 3-2 win, their first in Gettysburg since 2000. With her six points on the day, Miller became the all-time leading scorer in program history, surpassing Beth Cariello’s 15-year old record of 104 career points.

The Blue Jay offense exploded over the next games, outscoring their opponents 17-1 as they rolled to 9-0 on the season. Junior Andrea Vandersall tallied her first career hat trick in a 7-0 Hopkins win over Swarthmore on a rain-soaked Homewood Field. The next day, seven different players scored, including the first career goals for sophomore Lindsay McKenna and freshman Annie Shepard as Hopkins beat Virginia Wesleyan 10-1. Miller added another record to her resume in the win over the Marlins. She netted three goals to become the first player in program history with 50 career goals, breaking Cariello’s school record of 49.

Hopkins picked up wins over Dickinson and Haverford the following week to remain unbeaten on the season and in Centennial Conference action. However, the undefeated season came to an end against sixth-ranked The College of New Jersey. At Dickinson, Miller continued her offensive spurt, scoring four goals on the day, including the first three of the game, as the Blue Jays held off an upset-minded Red Devils team for a 6-3 win. Against the Fords, Miller and Vandersall combined for three of the Blue Jays four goals in a 4-0 shutout. Junior Sophia Tieu made six saves on the day to post her second shutout of the season. It was another record-breaking day for Miller, as she took down the single-season goals record with her 20th of the season.

Despite an 11-save performance from Tieu against TCNJ, Hopkins could not make it 12 in a row, falling 3-0 and suffering its first shutout in two years. The Blue Jays bounced back a week later as the Shorewomen of Washington College visited Homewood Field in a showdown of Centennial Conference unbeatens. Hopkins got goals from Miller, senior Adair Landy and junior Chantal Serle to snap Washington College’s eight-game win streak and take over sole possession of second place in the conference.

The Blue Jays moved to 6-0 in the conference standings with a 4-0 shutout of the Diplomats of Franklin & Marshall. It was a spread offense again for Hopkins as four different players scored in the win. On the defensive side, the Blue Jays held the Diplomats to just two shots in the game with Tieu and Stein combining for the shutout. Three days later, Hopkins lost an overtime stunner in Allentown, falling 1-0 at Muhlenberg for its first conference loss of the season. The Mules Michelle Consiglio made seven saves to keep the potent Blue Jay offense off the board in the upset. It was the Blue Jays first overtime loss in more than two years.

Hopkins continued its three-game road swing at Bryn Mawr and came home with a 9-0 win. Landy, Farrow and Vandersall each scored a pair for the Blue Jays, with Serle and Bland each picking up a pair of assists. Four days later, Hopkins won 3-1 at McDaniel to set up a first place showdown with Ursinus. Bland notched a goal and an assist to pace the Blue Jays in the win over the Green Terror.

Playing on senior day at Homewood Field in the regular season finale with first place in the Centennial Conference on the line, Hopkins jumped on top early off a Horton penalty stroke just 3:10 in. The Bears answered just over four minutes later to knot the score at one apiece before a Vandersall goal gave the Blue Jays back the one-goal lead. Ursinus responded with four unanswered to take a 5-2 lead with just under 15 minutes to play in the half. Sophomore Ariana Branchini ended the run with her fifth of the season, but it would be the final Hopkins’ goal of the day as Ursinus took a 5-3 lead into the half. Horton notched the 30th assist of her career on the goal, breaking the Hopkins’ all-time record. The Bears would score three more in the second half en route to the 8-3 win.

The loss set up a Centennial Conference semifinal match-up with Gettysburg the following week. Horton and Vandersall provided the offense as Hopkins won 2-0 for its first conference tournament shutout since a 1-0 win over Ursinus in the 2003 semifinals. The win propelled the Blue Jays into the conference title game for the seventh time in the last nine years and a rematch with the Bears. Hopkins got 17 saves from Tieu in the title game but it was not enough as Ursinus claimed the title with a 5-1 win.

On the strength of 16-4 record, a runner-up finish in the Centennial Conference and five wins over ranked opponents, Hopkins earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and eighth overall. The Blue Jays also earned the right to play at home in the Big Dance for the first time since 2003 and drew the #17 Captains of Christopher Newport. The Captains scored two first half goals while getting five saves from Emma Stout to take a 2-0 lead into the lockerroom at the break. The Blue Jays continued to pressure the Captains, finally getting on the board with 44 seconds remaining as Horton scored off a Bland penalty corner. The Blue Jays would not get another crack at the goal though as their season ended with a 2-1 loss.

The honors rolled in for several Blue Jays as they were honored for their outstanding play in 2008. Horton, Landy, Miller and Bland all earned All-Centennial Conference honors. Horton and Landy were named to the first team, while Miller was a second team selection and Bland took home honorable mention honors. The quartet also earned NFHCA All-South honors. It was the third time in their careers that Horton, Landy and Miller earned all-region honors, while Bland earned the honor for the first time. Horton and Landy were further honored by the NFHCA, as Horton was named a First Team All-American and Landy earned Second Team All-America honors. Horton is just the third player and the first defender in program history to earn First Team All-America honors. The pair was also just the third and fourth respectively, to earn All-America honors twice in their career.

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