The women’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the season with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Johns Hopkins University on Saturday, Sept. 13. The game featured two of the nation’s top Division III teams, with Johns Hopkins ranked 18th in the nation and the Lions 10th. The loss dropped the College to 4-1 overall and third place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
After a scoreless first half in the rain, Johns Hopkins was able to break through early in the second half. Senior Hannah Kronick got the Blue Jays on the board first when she rocketed home a rebound in the 61st minute. Kronick then added her sixth goal of the year 15 minutes later to give the Blue Jays a commanding lead.
The Lions rallied with a goal by junior Christina Roach in the 88th minute, but it was too little, too late for the College to complete the rally.
The goal was Roach’s third of the season, with the assist coming from last season’s leading scorer, Christine Levering.
The Blue Jays were able to hold off the Lions’ attack to secure their fifth win of the season.
“We had our chances throughout the game, but for some reason we were not able to finish them,” said leading-scorer Gina Caprara.
The Lions defeated Johns Hopkins last season in a 2-1 double-overtime thriller capped off by a Levering game-winning goal.
Johns Hopkins was the first ranked opponent the College has faced this season.
The Lions have another light week ahead of them with only one upcoming game. The team will travel to Rutgers-Newark University on Friday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The game will be the College’s first conference match.
Last season, the Lions used a 6-2-1 conference record to coast their way to an NJAC title.
“Moving forward, we just need to focus on finishing our chances and we should be fine,” Caprara said.
