Aug. 29, 2005

Despite success, winners never settle.

For Leo Weil's Johns Hopkins women's soccer team, 2004 was another winning season, highlighted by a 16-5-1 record, good for second most wins in the program's history and a tie for the third best winning percentage (.750) by a Hopkins squad. The Blue Jays also spent three weeks in the national top-25, ranked as high as 19th the week of Sept. 21. However, a furious second half comeback in the Centennial Conference championship game against ranked Gettysburg fell short, and the Blue Jays missed out on an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

2005 will give Hopkins another chance to win a Centennial championship and make it back to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time, as the team returns eight starters, including three all-conference selections.

Forwards

The most important cogs in the Hopkins offense from last year return, including senior Meg McIntosh and sophomore Kim Lane. The tandem had the exact same numbers in 2004, 10 goals, two assists and 22 points. McIntosh is on a run of three consecutive seasons as the team's leading scorer, with a resume of 27 career goals and 58 points, third all-time in both categories. Despite the big numbers, Weil expects bigger things out of his go-to player. "We are looking for Meg to make even more of a contribution this season. She has speed, size and incredible athletic ability, as well as a knack for scoring. We want her to be more selfish and to take more people on."

Lane, in only her second season, can be counted on to make the have the kind of impact she did in her rookie year. She carried a large part of the offensive load in 2004, tallying three or more shots seven times, with three multi-goal games.

Junior Laurie Baumann brings even more offense to the squad, to complement the big scorers. She chipped in eight goals last season and produced three game-winners. Baumann also fired 48 shots, second most on the team.

Midfielders

With the graduation of midfielders Kathleen Turley, who led the club in assists (6), and Jenn Sciarpelletti, who returns to coach in 2005, the Blue Jays will be looking for replacements at this crucial position.

Solid teams have good players to command the middle of the field and move the ball well, which junior co-captain Jessie McKenzie will do for this team. "Whether it's serving great corners, taking blistering shots, or switching the ball from one side of the field to the other, Jessie will be a major factor in our success this year," says Weil. McKenzie used her hard shot to produce eight goals, tied for third most on the team.

The returning assist leader is junior Kaitlin Gianetti, who was a goal scorer in 2003 with six, but piled up the helpers in 2004, with five.

Another experienced sophomore performer is Cassandra Vogel, who put up five goals and three assists last season. She was one of two rookies to play in 20 or more games, and led all newcomers with 13 starts.

Defense

In a position where there are few statistics to define individual play, junior Lindsey Kimura found a way to emerge as one of the standouts on this team. Kimura earned first-team All-Centennial Conference and NCSAA All-Mid Atlantic honors last season. On her accomplishments, Weil says, "It's not always easy to for defenders to get recognition, but it's a real compliment to her ability that other coaches recognize her outstanding play."

Kimura also played a role in the offense, connecting with five goals on 17 shots, including three game-winners.

Junior Nikkole Haines also returns to the defense, having started in 16 of the 22 games she appeared in during 2004.

Goalkeepers

The last line of defense is critical to a winning team and senior co-captain Jen Goebel will provide plenty of experience and skill to anchor the backfield. Goebel's role will be more pro-active this season, Weil says. "She may have a very inexperienced defense in front of her and will have to be more involved with her feet as a sweeper/keeper in our new flat back defense."

Goebel, the Centennial Conference leader in shutouts last year with eight, has 34 career starts under her belt, a 1.06 goals against average and 119 career saves.

Sophomore Kerry Hamilton provides solid depth between the pipes, having played five games in 2004 with a shutout in her only start.

Schedule

The schedule is highlighted by four teams who finished in the top-25 last season, with three of those teams on the eight-game non-conference slate. Two of those ranked programs visit Homewood Field to open the season, as Stevens Tech and Oneonta State participate in the JHU Invitational September 3-4. College of New Jersey visits the Blue Jays on October 3 and Centennial opponent Gettysburg, who finished at #24, will face Hopkins at Homewood on Oct. 11. The tournament portion of the schedule also includes a trip to the Frostburg State Invitational Sept. 10-11 for matches against Washington & Lee and the home-standing FSU Bobcats.

The Centennial Conference schedule includes ten games, beginning with a home contest against Haverford Sept. 17.

Outlook

"I think that, on paper, this looks like our strongest team ever," says Weil. The coaches and sports information directors around the conference agree. In the Centennial Preseason Polls, Hopkins was selected second and received four first place votes, the same amount defending champion Gettysburg garnered on their way to a first-place spot.

Weil identifies that the ways to success this season start with the defense. "The key to our success this year will be our ability to cut down on the number of goals we allow." Too many "soft" goals plagued the team last year, Weil says, but that's nothing that can't be fixed. "That was our emphasis last spring and will continue to be this season."

There are a number of strengths on this team that can't be overlooked, however, including good depth and athleticism. "It may take a while to figure out what our best combination of players will be," says Weil, "it's also a very versatile team, with many players who can effectively play a number of positions."