BALTIMORE, MD – The 18^th-ranked and second-seeded Johns Hopkins women's soccer team got a goal from senior Natalie Smith shortly after she entered the game midway through the first half and the defense made the one goal stand up as the Blue Jays advanced to the Centennial Conference Championship game with a 1-0 victory over Dickinson at Homewood Field Friday evening.
 
The Blue Jays, who are seeking their 16^th Centennial Tournament title, will be making their 23^rd appearance in the championship game in 25-year history of the tournament.  Johns Hopkins will travel to top-seeded Swarthmore on Sunday, November 9 for the championship game.   The Garnet topped F&M, 1-0, in Friday's other semifinal.
 
Johns Hopkins had a chance to grab the lead just minutes before Smith subbed on as Pico Gray was forced to turn away a Megha Salvi free kick from distance in the only threatening opportunity for either team in the opening 25 minutes.
 
Smith subbed on at the 28:33 mark and needed less than a minute – 58 seconds to be exact – to find the back of the net with what proved to be the game-winner.  Senior Maria Romo-Nichols was able to control the ball on the wing and sprung graduate student Tatum Adamson down the side and she pressured the endline.  There, she was able to work free and send a cross towards the near post that Smith headed home just over the hands of Gray, who had little time to react to Smith's offering.

1H
JHU-1, Dickinson-0

Natalie Smith subs in .. and 58 seconds later, THIS! #GoHop pic.twitter.com/WEz1Sviphi

— Johns Hopkins Women's Soccer (@HopkinsWSoccer) November 7, 2025

 
The Blue Jays had several golden chances to double the lead early in the second half, but Irene Sanchez Burgueno's offering from the right of Gray pinged off the far post and Gray stopped her from in-tight less than 20 seconds later.   Just over 11 minutes later, Gray made her best save of the game as she made a diving save on a blast from senior Romo-Nichols, who was able to get free in the middle and ticketed one for the lower right corner that Gray was equal to.
 
Dickinson's two best chances of the night came in the final 15 minutes, but Joelle Ma's free kick in the 76^th minute was easily saved by Ella Kruntchev and Lila Brown's header off a corner a short time later drifted wide of the post.
 
Johns Hopkins held a 14-3 advantage in shots and both teams had three corner kicks in the game.  Gray was tasked with making four saves on the night, while Kruntchev made one in locking down the Blue Jays' fifth straight shutout.
 
Johns Hopkins bumps its all-time record in the tournament to 34-5-6, including 15-0-2 as the number two seed.
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