Resilient Garnet Fall to #11 Johns Hopkins in CC Championship
BALTIMORE, Md. - Johns Hopkins sophomore Molly Steele scored in the 35th minute and the Blue Jays' defense posted its eighth shut-out as Hopkins won its fifth Centennial Conference Women's Soccer Championship with a 1-0 victory over visiting Swarthmore on Sunday afternoon at Homewood Field.
Johns Hopkins is the first school to repeat as Conference champions since Muhlenberg turned the trick in 2000 and 2000 - the five titles ties Gettysburg for the all-time lead.
Swarthmore making its first-ever appearance in a postseason playoff game, was riding a seven-game win streak - the last defeat being a 4-1 set-back at the hands of the Blue Jays on Oct. 7. At halftime of the game, the Centennial Conference announced its 2006 All-Centennial team - four members from Swarthmore were selected: Kanuka and sophomore defender Caitlin Mullarkey made first team while freshman midfielder Maggie DeLorme and Walker were named honorable mention.
The 11th-ranked Blue Jays (17-2 overall) almost hit pay dirt in the 12th minute - senior Nikkole Haines' volley from 12 yards out struck the bottom of the cross bar and bounced clear of the goal. Johns Hopkins' continued to pressure the Swarthmore backline with diagonal services into the Garnet box. The Blue Jays later took advantage of an opening created by Steele - the JHU forward side-stepped a Swarthmore defender at the top of the penalty box and then ripped a left-footed shot into the lower left corner at 34:24. The score was her 10th of the season.
Johns Hopkins held the 1-0 lead into the intermission while posting a 7-4 shot advantage.
Swarthmore, playing in its first Centennial women's soccer finale, came out with renewed purpose at the start of the second half. Senior Natalie Negrey fed freshman Katie Kanuka down the right side of the field; Kanuka beat the Hopkins defender to the ball and spying JHU goalkeeper Karen Guszkowski off her line, chipped a shot from 22 yards out. The ball caromed off the bottom of the cross bar and yet was safely cleared out by the Blue Jays defense.
The Garnet women just missed another opportunity for the equalizer - Negrey's corner sailed to the far post untouched where freshman Caitlin O'Neil's header went over the cross bar.
The Garnet ran into some tough luck in the second half - Kanuka went off with a left foot injury at 56:25 - tried to take on two defenders and was tackled hard; she was able to return ten minutes later. Swarthmore lost freshman back Eileen Earl and sophomore center back Alexa Bensimohn with injuries - sophomore Anna de Regt and freshman Taylor Rhodes stepped in place of the injured Garnet, keeping Johns Hopkins off the board in the final 45 minutes.
Johns Hopkins maintained the advantage in shot category (17-8) while Swarthmore attempted the only two corner kicks of the afternoon.
Guszkowski made two saves for her first shut-out of the season while Garnet goalkeeper Lauren Walker made four saves for Swarthmore.
Swarthmore (14-4-1 overall) will await word of a possible at-large bid to the 2006 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament - the bracket is scheduled to be announced on Monday morning.