Release courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications
BABSON PARK, MA – The fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins field hockey team shutout 17th-ranked William Smith, 1-0, in the NCAA Sweet 16 Saturday afternoon.
William Smith had a good look off an early penalty corner less than a minute in. Mary Kate Breward tipped a shot by Libby Maxwell, but junior Alexis Loder kicked it away. Midway through the first quarter, senior Siena Urbanski's shot hit the post and then was cleared away by Lauren Jackson.
Early in the third quarter, Kate Barilla made a defensive save on a shot by graduate student Abby Birk to keep the game scoreless. Midway through the quarter, Kristen McCormick made a pad save on a blast from Birk. But just 21 seconds later, the Blue Jays broke through on a penalty corner. Urbanski inserted the corner to senior Sadie Abboud and she passed the ball behind her back to Birk, who fired a shot from the top. Junior Gen Mehra tipped the ball in at the right post for what turned out to be the game's only goal with 6:47 to play.
Loder finished with the one save to earn the shutout, the eighth of her career. McCormick made seven saves in the loss for the Herons. Hopkins had a 16-1 advantage in shots and a 13-1 advantage in corners.
Hopkins returns to action on Sunday, November 13 and will take on 10th-ranked Babson in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Game time is slated for 1:00 pm at MacDowell Field.
Notes: Hopkins extended its win streak to 14 games • JHU also posted its school and Centennial Conference-record 14th shutout of the season • Birk now has 11 points in her career in the NCAA Tournament, the most in program history • Birk is also now tied with five assists in the NCAA Tournament • JHU is making its fourth straight appearance in the national quarterfinals • Today's game was just the second-ever meeting between the Blue Jays and the Herons.