31st October 2009
Hopkins Finally Back on a Winning Streak
#10 U Penn side were no match for the Blue Jays
By Christopher de LaiglesiaHaving lost their last 4 games, the boys in blue decided to go back to what made them so great; the fact was this was club soccer and having fun was the priority. With a laid back approach and discussions about Halloween costumes, the team went into the game without any sort of pressure.
The match was an open one, with both sides trying to find a way through. Hopkins made several chances, with their best one coming from forward de Laiglesia, who latched onto a through ball by Tait, beat two defenders but then proceeded to hit the crossbar. Olivas and de Laiglesia continued to taunt the defense with the help of Tait and Hamilton, who was played in midfield in a switch with Ruppel. Mieles and Khan provided the flair on the wings, beating their markers skillfully and with much ease.
U Penn did not seem like the team that had recently tied #1 Penn State as they could not find a way past Johnson, Dunlap, Seebacher and Ruppel. This led to the inevitable 1-0, as Olivas strook the ball from the edge of the area, and through a deflection, chipped over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Hopkins continued to dominate and kept the result into the halftime mark.
The second half started in similar fashion as that of the end of the first half, as Hopkins kept the ball in Penn's half. The 2-0 came early in the half, when Olivas flicked on a through ball that de Laiglesia managed to take away from their last defender, and slotted it into the bottom left of the goal. Hopkins continued to threaten with the added pace of Hage, who was brought in at the beginning of the half, and kept creating chances.
However, as the game approached its conclusion, Penn started to press forward, and in a scramble in the area, managed to get one back. It was late in the half, and they were unable to tie the game, which gave the Blue Jays the first victory in the last three weeks.
