SWARTHMORE, PA – Before Sunday's Centennial Conference Women's Soccer Championship game, Johns Hopkins senior Maria Romo-Nichols could easily tell which of her 25 career assists was the most memorable.  That would be the helper on the game-winning goal in the 2022 National Championship game.
 
Ask her now which of her 21 career goals is the most memorable, and she's likely to answer her remarkable 88^th-minute strike in Sunday's CC title game that lifted the Blue Jays to a 2-1 win over top-seeded Swarthmore.  The goal lifted the Blue Jays to their 16^th Centennial Tournament title and 18^th overall Centennial Conference crown (two titles won before the league added a tournament to determine its champion in 2001).
 
In a game that appeared destined for overtime, it was Romo-Nichols, the most dangerous player on the field throughout the game, who took matters into her own hands.
 
Taking a feed along the wing about 40 yards from goal, she pressed forward and challenged hard to the middle of the field, where she was able to gain a step on her defender as she drifted across the top of the box.  As she got center, she let loose a left-footed laser to the far post that was outside the reach of Swarthmore goalie Lila Travers for what proved to be the title-winning goal.
 
In a script that felt eerily similar to what played out when the teams met in the regular season, the Blue Jays (15-4-1) dominated possession in the opening 45 minutes, took all 15 first-half shots and carried a 1-0 lead into halftime.'
 
After firing five early shots at Swarthmore goalie Dhalia Bedward – all five of which she turned away – the Blue Jays broke through in the 24^th minute as they turned a transition opportunity into the game-opening goal.
 
Senior Ella Macko played a ball from the back to junior Caroline Marcus near midfield and Marcus turned quickly and pushed forward.  She dropped a pass to Romo-Nichols, who pressed towards the top of the box and slipped a pass to Marcus on her left; Marcus collected on the run and fired a left-footer inside the far post to get the Blue Jays on the board.
 
None of Bedward's five early saves truly tested her, but after the Marcus goal, the Blue Jay chances increased in volume and difficulty.  Marcus had three chances from distance over the final 17 minutes of the half, but two missed just wide and one drifted just above the crossbar, while a Kei Kitamura free kick from 19 yards to the right at Bedward just missed sneaking in the near-side post.
 
After not threatening through 45 minutes, the Garnet (14-3-3) took advantage of their first chance of the game in the 49^th minute to pull even.  Working in transition after grabbing control near midfield, the Garnet worked to the area, where a Sydney Ross offering was blocked, but the rebounded landed right at the feet of Jordan Vrees, whose 12-yard shot found the back of the net above the out-stretched hands of Blue Jay goalie Ella Kruntchev.
 
Johns Hopkins had a golden chance to grab the lead back just four minutes later as the Blue Jays fired three shots in succession, only to have Travers, who came on for Bedward at the half, stop two of them, while Aminah Evans made a defensive save in the flurry to keep things even.
 
A more evenly-played second half saw the Blue Jays take 11 of the 13 shots that were registered, but the Garnet were more dangerous than in the first half and as the 1-1 tie held and the clock dripped towards overtime, it was time for Romo-Nichols to cement her selection as the tournament MVP with what proved to be the game-winner.  She'd scored 20 times in her career before that, but none were as memorable as the one that landed the Blue Jays their fourth consecutive Centennial Conference title.
 
With the win, Johns Hopkins grabs the automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament.  The bracket for the tournament will be announced on Monday, November 10 at 11 am on ncaa.com
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