BALTIMORE, MD – For the third time in just over a year, the Johns Hopkins and McDaniel women's soccer teams played to a 1-0 decision.  And for the third time, it was the home team that came away the winner as the home-standing Blue Jays used a second-half goal from Maria Romo-Nichols and a smothering defensive effort to fuel the one-goal victory.
 
With the win, the Blue Jays lock up the top seed in next week's Centennial Conference Tournament.  The Blue Jays, who improved to 12-2-3 overall and 9-1 in the Centennial Conference, will host a semifinal game on Friday, November 8 against the winner of one of the two first-round games, which will be played on Tuesday, November 5.
 
After the Green Terror controlled possession in the early part of the game, the Blue Jays tilted the field and ended the first half with a 10-1 advantage in shots and a 5-1 margin in corners.  McDaniel goalie Lauren Hoolahan made four of her eight saves in the opening 45 minutes and Green Terror midfielder Jessica Weinoldt helped preserve the first-half shutout as she headed out a Katie Sullivan offering that was ticketed for the corner.
 
After slowly increasing the pressure as the first half wore on, the Blue Jays continued to push forward early in the second half and broke through in the 55^th minute.  Junior Megha Salvi controlled a long ball on the run near the top of the box and played a perfect ball to Romo-Nichols, who settled the feed, turned and put it between the legs of defender into an open net to give the Jays the one-goal lead.
 
While the Blue Jays would continue to pressure and had golden chances from Salvi in-tight and Romo-Nichols from the wing turned away by Hoolahan, it was a smothering defensive effort that preserved the victory.  The Blue Jay defense, which recorded its 10^th shutout of the season, allowed just one second-half shot, a Grace Duffey offering from distance that was easily handled by Hopkins goalie Tia Harrison.
 
The two shots the Blue Jays allowed marked the ninth time in 10 Centennial Conference games that Hopkins held the opposition to five shots or less and the clean sheet was the seventh in those 10 league outings.
 
In all, Johns Hopkins held a 19-2 advantage in shots and earned nine corners to just one for the Green Terror.
 
Notes:  Tonight's game was the 300^th Centennial Conference game in Johns Hopkins history.  The Blue Jays are now 243-43-14 all-time in Centennial Conference regular season games.  Johns Hopkins earned the top seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament for the fourth consecutive year and the 12^th time since the tournament was added in 2001.
 
Johns Hopkins will close out the regular season on Saturday, November 2 when the Blue Jays welcome Mary Washington to Homewood Field (6 pm).