The women's soccer team defeated No. 14 Johns Hopkins University last Monday by a 1-0 margin. The win helped the Lions remain in the No. 3 position in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division III Rankings.
With the win, the Lions now stand at 10-0 on the season and 5-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
The lone goal of the game was netted by senior forward Brittny Boyd 16:56 into the second half, her sixth of the season. The assist came from freshman forward Allie Schilling off a breakaway shot.
"We had trouble scoring in the first half and shooting the ball at the net, but we took over in the second half," Schilling said.
Senior goalie Alissa Kacar made six saves in the game to collect her seventh shutout of the season. Last week, Kacar was named NJAC defensive player of the week and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) goaltender of the week.
The Lions were called offsides six times in the game, which may have been a reason for the lack of scoring. Even so, the Lions managed to outplay the Blue Jays and to give a loss to yet another undefeated team. Johns Hopkins now stands at 11-1-1.
"Coach (Joe Russo) is always confident and lets us know our competition, but he always believes we are better and that we will win," Schilling said. "He tells us that we are the team on everyone's schedule that is the most important."
The Lions' goal for the season is to capture the NCAA Division III Championship. With forces such as Boyd and strong rookies like Schilling, this could be a banner year for the team.
And the team says it should capture the NJAC Championship easily if it continues at the pace it has been going.
"I see us staying undefeated, making it to the NCAA Final Four, and eventually winning the championship," Schilling said. "We have a young team, but we work well together and we work harder than any other team out there."
Next on the Lions' schedule is a three-game homestand. The Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers University-Newark will meet the Lions tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Lions' Stadium. Tomorrow, the Lions will face the Griffins of Gwynedd-Mercy College at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday they will host the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University at 1 p.m.
