By Jhett Laurie
Staff Writer
The College’s No. 20-ranked field hockey team added its first loss of the season on Sept. 13 to No. 3 Johns Hopkins, and then defeated Swarthmore in a barnburner.
The Blue Jays traveled to Ewing, where the Lions hoped to play spoiler against a hot Johns Hopkins team. They were coming off a win against previously No. 2 Salisbury, seeking to push their position higher up the rankings.
The Lions were riding a four-game win streak, looking for a massive ranked win to skyrocket up the rankings, yet the Blue Jays did not budge.
The Lions started the game off strong, outshooting Johns Hopkins 4-1 before finding the back of the cage early in the second period. The Blue Jays fought back almost instantly, tying the game with just one shot.
A dominating offensive performance from Johns Hopkins saw them score once again later in the period, giving them their first and final lead.
The Lions fought back, with an impressive seven saves from Lions senior goalie Brigette Racey in the back stretch of the game. Johns Hopkins used their strong midfield to shut down the College, not allowing a single shot in the second half.
The loss would ultimately hurt the Lions' ranking, albeit not terribly, as they fell from 19 to 20.
On Sept. 17, the Lions would prevent their loss from turning into a skid as they took down formerly No. 20-ranked Swarthmore in a two-overtime thriller.
Swarthmore took an early lead when a Lions misstep gave the Garnet a penalty corner, which they capitalized on.
Junior Jadyn Huff answered back, tying the game at 1-1 for her fifth goal of the season. The Garnet made a strong effort to take the lead again, but a stunning save by Racey kept it tied.
Swarthmore kept the pressure up through the period break, as they ripped off a shot in the opening seconds. Senior Mackenzie Hart made a last-second save, catching the ball inches before it crossed the goal line.
Unfortunately, the Garnet would find the goal halfway through the period.
The game would go on pause as it entered halftime, as a lightning delay forced the teams and fans alike to take shelter nearby. An hour later, the restriction was lifted and the game resumed.
The Lions would retake the field and swing the momentum in their favor as they outshot the Garnet 4-1, tying the game on an unassisted goal from sophomore Prisha Dhruve, her second of the season.
Swarthmore would get yet another break, as early in the fourth quarter, they would retake the lead on a penalty shot that slipped past the goalie. The Lions battled relentlessly, taking every opportunity they could to stay in the game. Racey pulled off a series of desperately needed saves, paving the way for an offensive breakthrough.
Freshman Lindsey Hoffman found a lane down the right side of the field, juked past a defender, and fed it to the middle of the field. There, junior Emma McElroy fed it to sophomore Ali Simmons, who found the cage to tie the game with just 15 seconds remaining. A relentless Lions team managed to find a break and send the game to overtime.
A desperate exchange commenced, with Lions sophomores Avery Vacca and Rachel Tetzlaff and senior captain Heather Kimak playing outstanding defense to keep the Garnet from scoring.
As the first overtime came and went, the Lions desperately needed that golden goal to finally ice the game. Junior Isabel Maher would be the one who called the game, as an assist from Hoffman set up Maher's first goal of the season.
Field hockey will next take on No. 11 Ursinus on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. at home.
