BALTIMORE, MD –
Megan Chang's first-quarter goal turned out to be all second-ranked Johns Hopkins needed to defeat 19
th-ranked Haverford, 1-0, in the Centennial Conference Semifinals Thursday night. The Blue Jays extend their win streak to 17 games as they improve to 18-1, while the Fords fall to 14-6.
On just their second penalty corner of the game, the Blue Jays cashed in. Fords' goalie Steph Ionescu made back-to-back saves on
Ada Farmer and Chang, but the third time was the charm for JHU. Chang corralled the rebound, dribbled to her left to create space and the fired a reverse into the top of the Haverford goal at the 6:39-mark.
Hopkins nearly doubled its lead two minutes later, but Ionescu was able to turn away
Grace Waldeck's offering. The teams then combined for just two shots in the second and third quarters as the Blue Jays held on to the one-goal lead. Haverford stepped up the pressure in the fourth quarter as the visitors looked for the equalizer. They nearly got on a Holly Vincent shot off a penalty corner, but
Emi Hakutani got her stick down to knock it away.
Erica Pardon and Lily Gover had back-to-back looks just 13 seconds apart with less than nine minutes to play. But
Aubrey Kilgore and the Blue Jay defense kept the visitors off the board. Hopkins countered on the other end but could not get an insurance goal. The Fords had one last push in the final 90 seconds but could not get the ball into the circle.
Kilgore finished with a pair of saves in three quarters while
Jessica Lapidus was not forced to make a save in the second quarter. Ionescu tallied four saves in the loss for the Fords. Hopkins outshot Haverford, 8-5, and finished with a 3-2 edge in corners.
Hopkins advances to the Centennial Conference Championship game for the eighth consecutive season. JHU will host the winner of second-seeded Franklin & Marshall and third-seeded Dickinson on Saturday, November 8. The title game is scheduled for a 5:00 pm start at Homewood Field.
