2007 Women's Soccer Season in Review :: Blue Jays Win Third Straight Centennial Conference Title in 2007

2007 Women's Soccer Season in Review

Blue Jays Win Third Straight Centennial Conference Title in 2007

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Head coach Leo Weil and the Blue Jays won their third straight Centennial Conference title in 2007.

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Paulucci Named NSCAA First-Team All-American

2008 Johns Hopkins Women's Soccer Season Review

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Jan. 2, 2008

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The 2007 season was one of growth and excitement for the Johns Hopkins women's soccer team. The Blue Jays entered the season as the two-time defending Centennial Conference Champions, looking to do what no soccer team (men's or women's) in Centennial history had done and that was to win three straight. Hopkins was also faced with the prospect of having to replace four of its top five scorers from a year ago.

Hopkins opened the season by hosting the Donna K. Lane/JHU Invitational on September 1 and 2. Trailing 1-0 at the half to Carnegie Mellon in the opener, junior Molly Steele got the equalizer and later assisted on sophomore Claire Pelura's game-winning goal. Hopkins dropped a tough 4-1 decision to Christopher Newport the next day. In that contest, freshman Allie Zazzali scored the first goal of her career.

On Wednesday, September 5, Misericordia visited Homewood Field which started a five-game unbeaten streak for the Blue Jays. That stretch began with the 3-0 win over the Cougars and included a 9-0 victory over Washington. Against Misericordia, freshman Erin Stafford got her career off to a good start with a pair of goals.

That streak also included a 1-1 double overtime tie with Amherst, ranked seventh in the country at the time. The win over Washington proved to be a big one as the team tied the school record for goals in a game. Also in that contest, senior Kim Lane broke the school record for points in a game with 10 (3g, 4a).

Lane earned plenty of recognition for her big performance against Washington. She was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week and to the D3kicks.com National Team of the Week. Lane also earned a spot in Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd for her performance.

Hopkins stumbled slightly with a 4-1 loss at Frostburg State on September 21 but bounced back with a 2-1 win over Dickinson on September 25 to improve to 2-0 in Centennial play. In the win over the Red Devils, senior Cassandra Vogel headed home the game-winner.

The Blue Jays followed that with back-to-back 1-0 losses at Haverford and at home in overtime to TCNJ.

That loss to TCNJ was the last Hopkins saw on its schedule for awhile. On October 3, the Blue Jays traveled to #18 Swarthmore. Zazzali sent the Blue Jays home with a double overtime 1-0 win on her third goal of the year.

Hopkins got another overtime win on Saturday of that week as junior Jane O'Connor's goal in the first overtime lifted Hopkins over Gettysburg 1-0. Sophomore Karen Guszkowski and the Blue Jay defense posted their third straight shutout with a 3-0 win over Franklin & Marshall four days later.

Hopkins' three straight shutouts were part of a six-game win streak for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jay defense continued to be top notch allowing just one goal in the three victories following the F&M contest. The Blue Jays entered the regular season finale at Ursinus needing a win or a tie to earn the right to host the Centennial Conference playoffs. The Blue Jays and the Bears battled through 110 minutes of soccer to a 0-0 tie. While the tie might not have been what the Blue Jays hoped for on the scoreboard, it was good enough to secure the top seed for the Centennial Conference playoffs.

Hopkins played host to Gettysburg in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference playoffs. The Blue Jays wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard in this one as Stafford scored in the fourth minute. Steele later added an insurance goal for the 2-0 victory.

The Blue Jays appeared in the Centennial Conference championship game the next day looking for the elusive third straight title. Hopkins' opponent for the title match was the Ursinus College Bears, who advanced to the game after a penalty kick shoot out with Swarthmore in the other semifinal. Both teams started slow, playing tough defense as it took until 12:46 of the first half for either team to record a statistic. In the second half, it was Lane getting the Blue Jays on the board with her seventh goal of the season. Steele added an insurance goal as Hopkins claimed its third straight Centennial Conference Title and sixth overall.

With its win in the Centennial Conference Tournament, Hopkins earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Jays' opponent for the first round was Virginia Wesleyan. Hopkins saw its season ended the previous year by Virginia Wesleyan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on penalty kicks.

Virginia Wesleyan and Hopkins battled each other tough for the first 23 minutes of the game. In the 24th minute, the Marlins were able to dent the scoreboard. That goal was the first given up by the Blue Jay defense in 568 minutes. Virginia Wesleyan added another goal in the 41st minute to take a 2-0 lead at the half and held off some late pressure from the Blue Jays for the victory.

The Blue Jays were well rewarded for their strong play throughout the season. Five Hopkins players earned All-Centennial Conference Honors. Named to the first team were Lane, Steele, junior Chrissy McCurdy and freshman Jenn Paulucci. Paulucci became just the 17th freshman in conference history to earn first team all-conference honors. Guszkowski earned All-Centennial Honorable Mention honors.

Senior Johanna Chapin earned Third Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America honors after being a First Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District selection. McCurdy and Vogel earned Third Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors. McCurdy, Lane and Paulucci were all named NSCAA Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region.

While Coach Leo Weil and the Blue Jays are faced with the tough task of replacing four seniors, (Lane (26g, 14a in her career), Hamilton (0.87 career gaa) and two mainstays of the defense in Vogel and Chapin), the pieces are in place for a run next year.

Steele enters the 2008 season with 62 career points on 26 goals and 10 assists. Guszkowski recorded the second lowest single-season goals against average (0.47) in school history last season and is tied for fifth in career shutouts with nine after two seasons. They will be joined by All-Centennial selections McCurdy and Paulucci along with a cast of other returning letter winners in search of the program's fourth straight Centennial Conference title and seventh overall.