Oct. 28, 2009

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The 17th-ranked Johns Hopkins field hockey team got a pair of first-half goals to shutout visiting McDaniel in Centennial Conference action at Homewood Field Wednesday night. The Blue Jays improve to 12-4 overall and 7-2 in the conference, while the Green Terror slip to 7-9 and 5-4 in the conference.

Hopkins took the 1-0 lead off sophomore Carly Bianco's third goal of the season with 6:38 remaining in the first half. Bianco struck a penalty corner for the Blue Jays, sending the ball to junior Ariana Branchini (Old Lyme, CT/Choate). Branchini fired a hard shot on the cage that Bianco redirected inside the left post. With just 65 seconds remaining in the half, the Blue Jays got another one to take a 2-0 lead into the room. Senior Gabi Henn (Lambertville, NJ/South Hunterdon) tipped a loose ball around a defender and then around Green Terror goalie Stephanie Thomson, who had come out to challenge about 10 yards out. She then blasted the ball into the open cage for her fifth of the season.

Senior Sophia Tieu (Cupertino, CA/Cupertino) finished with four saves in posting her third shutout of the season for the Blue Jays. For the Green Terror, Thomson posted seven saves.

The win secured Hopkins a spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament next weekend. The Blue Jays will avoid next Wednesday's first round game with the win, as they can finish no lower than third in the Centennial Conference standings.

Hopkins wraps up the regular season on Saturday as the Blue Jays travel to Collegeville, PA to take on third-ranked Ursinus. Game time is slated for 1:00 pm.