Kronick Buries Two, Hopkins Upsets No. 1 Messiah
GRANTHAM, PA – Junior Hannah Kronick scored consecutive goals for the Johns Hopkins women's soccer team in the second half as the Blue Jays held on to defeat the top-ranked Messiah Falcons, 2-1, Wednesday evening. After going down 1-0 in the 57th minute, Kronick rallied the Blue Jays after she netted the equalizer less than a minute later. With the score even at one, Kronick delivered again finishing a goal off a pass from freshman Ana Bengoechea.
The victory marks the first time in Hopkins women's soccer history that the team has defeated an opponent ranked first in the nation. After scoring two goals in the match, Kronick is now tied with Sarah Parola for second all-time in goals (46) in program history.
The second half proved to be the most exciting in the match between the nationally ranked squads, with Messiah able to strike first in the 57th minute. Falcon forward Nikki Elsaesser collected a rebound batted away by JHU senior goalie Kelly Leddy off a Messiah cross and put it in the back of the net to stake Messiah to the one-goal lead.
Just 51 seconds later, Kronick swung the momentum right back in Hopkins' favor, drilling a shot in the left corner on a breakaway. With the game tied 1-1, Hopkins played with a refined sense of confidence, putting consistent pressure on the Messiah defense for the first time in the match. After four straight Hopkins shots, Kronick netted the go-ahead goal in the right corner on an assist from Bengoechea.
With Hopkins up 2-1, Messiah was relentless with offensive pressure, with a shot from Alicia Frey on a direct kick missing just wide. Hopkins dodged one last bullet in the closing minutes after a deflection off a corner kick missed left in the final minute.
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Early on, Messiah had a golden opportunity to take the lead as a shot from Marisa Weaver sailed just high of the Hopkins net in the second minute. Chances were hard to come by as the teams settled in with both defenses shutting down any possible gaps or chances close to the net.
Freshman Adrienne Johnson made a number of crucial plays for the Hopkins defense, including a gutsy blocked shot from Messiah's Holly Burgard in the 41st minute. Hopkins survived a last minute attempt in the 45th minute of the first half as Leddy came up with a save after a series of deflections in the box.
The Blue Jays move to 3-0 on the season with the victory, and will return to the pitch this weekend to face Allegheny and No. 5 Carnegie Mellon.
