BALTIMORE, MD – The 22nd-ranked Johns Hopkins women's soccer team scored twice before the game was 20 minutes old and added two more strikes in a 10-minute span midway through the game as the Blue Jays knocked off visiting Salisbury, 4-1, at Homewood Field Wednesday afternoon.  Johns Hopkins improves to 3-2-1 on the year, while the Sea Gulls slip to 1-4-1.
 
The Blue Jays wasted no time jumping on the Sea Gulls as they struck just 5:22 into the game to grab an early 1-0 lead.  Senior Maria Romo-Nichols pushed forward along the edge of the box and drove a low cross through the box that sophomore Irene Sanchez-Burgueno was able to redirect past Salisbury goalie Hayle Foreman near the far post.
 
The one-goal lead held for just over 13 minutes before Sanchez-Burgueno returned the favor and grabbed the helper on a Romo-Nichols goal.  Sanchez-Burgeuno was able to chase down a ball just before it went over the end line to the right of Foreman; there, she played it back to the middle where Romo-Nichols was able to head it just inside the post to double the Blue Jay lead.
 
The Sea Gulls mounted just one serious threat in the first half, but they were able to make it count as they cut the deficit in half 11 minutes after Romo-Nichols scored.  Working in transition, Skylar Williams challenged a Blue Jay defender just inside the box to the right of Blue Jay goalie Ella Kruntchev.  Williams' shot appeared to deflect off the defender's foot and Kruntchev, who was playing the original angle of the shot, was unable to get a hand on the offering before it snuck inside the post.
 
The one-goal Blue Jay lead was back to two 10 minutes later as they capitalized in quick-strike fashion.  Working from midfield, the Blue Jays pushed forward and eventually found senior Megha Salvi, who threaded a pass through the defense that junior Sayre Burwell blew past Foreman but off the far post and directly back into the middle the box, where sophomore Carolyn Johnson scored on the rebound to give the Jays a 3-1 lead.
 
Johns Hopkins closed out the scoring just under five minutes into the second half when Salvi poked home a feed into the area from graduate student Tatum Adamson that sophomore Gwen Rauvola was able to get a head on; Rauvola's slight redirect landed right at the foot of Salvi, who slotted home her second of the year to close out the scoring.
 
The Blue Jays outshot the Sea Gulls 20-2 and collected all six corner kicks in the victory.  Foreman posted six saves in goal for Salisbury, while Kruntchev and Stephanie Wyszkowski combined for the shutout in goal for Johns Hopkins.
 
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Tuesday, September 16 when the Blue Jays make the trip to New Jersey to take on TCNJ (6 pm) in the latest renewal of one of the great non-conference rivalries in Division III women's soccer.