Release courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications
GLASSBORO, NJ – Senior Siena Urbanski scored late in the second quarter to lift the fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins field hockey team to a 1-0 win over eighth-ranked Williams Friday in the NCAA Semifinals.
Williams had a chance to get the game's first goal on a penalty corner with 3:53 left in the first quarter. Pilar Torres got a shot from up top, but junior Alexis Loder turned it away. Just over four minutes into the second, it was the Blue Jays' turn when freshman Grace Waldeck had a shot off a corner that eluded Ephs' goalie Carson Stephenson, but Torres made a defensive save to keep the game scoreless.
Hopkins got on the board with 4:38 left in the quarter as the Jays capitalized on a corner. Graduate student Abby Birk fired a shot from the top of the circle, and junior Gen Mehra tipped it over Stephenson to Urbanski, who banged it in at the near post. Sophomore Emily Amsden nearly doubled the Blue Jays' lead with 1:04 to play in the half, but her shot from the middle of the circle just went wide.
Loder made a pair of saves in the fourth quarter, in addition to coming out and snuffing out an Ephs' breakaway, to keep the Blue Jays on top.
Williams had advantages in shots (8-6) and corners (7-6). Loder finished with three saves to post her fourth shutout of the season and ninth of her career. Stephenson made a pair of saves in the first half before giving way to Gates Tenerowicz.
Hopkins will take on the winner of second-ranked Middlebury and third-ranked Rowan in Sunday's championship game. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 pm start at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium.
Notes: Hopkins will play in the national title for the second consecutive season • The Blue Jays extend their win streak to 16 games - the longest win streak in Division III • Birk broke the program record for career starts with her 83rd career start on Friday.