Nov. 22, 2009

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The #7 Johns Hopkins women's soccer team fell to #1 Messiah, 3-1, in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. Messiah took a two-goal lead in the first half and this proved too much for the Blue Jays to overcome. With the win, Messiah advances to the NCAA Final 4 in San Antonio, Texas on the weekend of December 5-6. Johns Hopkins finishes its season with a 19-4-0 record.

The Blue Jays had the first scoring chance of the day on a corner kick in the fourth minute of play. Junior Erin Stafford (Doylestown, PA/Villa Joseph Marie) took the corner and found the head of sophomore Erica Suter (Ellicott City, MD/River Hill), who directed the ball just over the cross bar.

The Falcons scored their first goal at 8:35. Senior Karen Guszkowski (Sayreville, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick) made two saves but the third shot found the back of the goal. The Falcons' Amanda Naeher had the first shot, which Guszkowski stopped with a diving save to her left. Leah Sipe then got her foot on the ball but Guszkowski again got her body in the way. Junior Erin Hench, however, collected the second rebound and found the back of the net for her 15th goal of the season. Sipe was credited with the assist.

Messiah's Corinne Wulf found herself inside the box in the 26th minute but junior Jessica Hnatiuk (Baltimore, MD/John Carroll School) stripped her of the ball and cleared the ball out of danger.

Just two minutes later, at 28:10, Messiah would go up 2-0. A Hopkins' foul would give Messiah a free kick 20 yards out. Naeher drilled a shot past the Blue Jay wall and into the lower right corner of the cage. Hench and junior Amy Horst recorded assists as they each touched the ball before Naeher took her shot. Naeher has 30 goals this season for Messiah. This would prove to be the game winner.

Just eight seconds later the Blue Jays would make the score 3-1 with their only goal of the game. Junior Allie Zazzali (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) lifted the ball over Messiah goalkeeper Autumn Reily. Suter sent the pass to Zazzali from the left sideline after dribbling the ball down the field. Hopkins gained momentum and controlled the play for next several minutes.

Johns Hopkins threatened to score again in the 58th minute. Hnatiuk took a shot on a free kick but Messiah keeper Autumn Reily came up with the save. Stafford collected the rebound but her shot sailed just wide. This would be the last scoring chance for Hopkins in the game. Reily had two saves in the contest for the Falcons.

Guszkowski made eight saves in the contest, including one of her best in the 79th minute. The Falcons' Emily Cope drilled a shot from the middle of the 18-yard box but Guszkowski was up to the task making a diving save to her left.

Messiah outshot Hopkins 23 to nine. Messiah also had four corners compared the to the Blue Jays' two.

The Blue Jays trip to the Elite 8 in the furthest any Johns Hopkins women's soccer team has advanced into the NCAA Tournament.