BALTIMORE, MD – The 18^th-ranked Johns Hopkins women's soccer team got a pair of second-half goals and a stingy defensive effort that held host Ursinus to just four shots as the Blue Jays slipped past the Bears, 2-0, at Patterson Field Saturday evening.  With the win, the Blue Jays finish the regular season at 13-4-1 overall and 8-2 in the Centennial Conference and lock up the number two seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
 
The Blue Jays outshot the Bears 8-1 in the opening 45 minutes and collected all three of the game's corners in the first half, but a trio of first-half saves from Mallory Toomey kept the game deadlocked.
 
Johns Hopkins kept the pressure up and finally broke through in the 60^th minute when Irene Sanchez Burgueno was able to work free on the flank and lift a cross into the box that junior Caroline Marcus was able to get a foot on and poke over the head of Toomey, who had come off her line but couldn't get to the ball before Marcus one-touched into the far corner of the goal.
 
The one-goal lead held for just over 21 minutes before Sanchez Burgueno and Marcus flipped the script.  Working down the wing, Marcus was able to work her way to the middle just slightly and sent a cross into the box that Carolyn Johnson tipped past a defender to Sanchez Burgueno, who was all alone on the back side.   Sanchez Burgueno was able to settle the pass and draw Toomey off her line before slipping the insurance goal inside the far post.
 
The two goals were all the Blue Jays would need as another strong defensive effort held the Bears to just the four shots, only two of which Johns Hopkins freshman Ella Kruntchev was forced to save.  The Bears managed just one shot in the final 15 minutes as the Blue Jays locked down the victory.
 
As the number two seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament, the three-time defending conference champion Blue Jays earn a bye into the tournament semifinals, where they will meet the highest remaining seed among the teams that play in the first round.  First-round games will feature third-seeded Dickinson hosting sixth-seeded Washington College and fourth-seeded Franklin & Marshall hosting fifth-seeded Gettysburg.  Johns Hopkins will host either Dickinson or the winner of the F&M-Gettysburg game on Friday, November 7 (time to be announced on Monday, November 3).
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