The No. 2 Johns Hopkins Women’s Soccer Team beat No. 4 Case Westerns with goals from Breukellen Woodard and Katie Sullivan in Sunday’s NCAA Division III national championship game in Salem, Virginia. We lost 2-1.
With the win, the Blue Jays went 23-0-2 to clinch their first national title, capping an undefeated season.
It was a remarkable achievement and the latest crowning achievement for Hopkins women’s fall sports in recent years.JHU’s women’s cross-country team won its eighth NCAA championship since 2012 two weeks ago. The volleyball team won its first-ever national championship in 2019, and the field hockey team has advanced to the national title game in each of the past two seasons.
The women’s soccer program is now on its second trip to the NCAA Final Four with its own NCAA Championship Trophy.
video: highlight | | Full replays of championship games
Hopkins got on the board when Rachel Jackson slid a pass to the right in the 14th minute of the first Sunday, and Woodard calmed down to fire low past the outstretched hand of Spartan goalkeeper Maggie Stooty. Woodard’s seven goals in his six games in the NCAA Tournament are his one short of a Division III record.
Case Western (20-1-1) drew when they attacked in transition over 20 minutes later. Senior Anya Hertzler hit a low shot that was saved by JHU goalkeeper Emma Hantzinger, but Hertzler corralled the loose ball and slipped a 5-yard shot into the open net to equalize.
The Blue Jays’ decisive goal came in the 50th minute, when Woodard carried the ball through midfield and Maria Romo Nichols found space to her right. After cutting back to the center of the field, Romo Nichols put in a pass to Cutting Sullivan who scored one feed just under the crossbar from 10 yards out.
From there, Hopkins held off the Spartans and Jackson at one point blew a dangerous shot off the line.
Jackson was named the championship’s Most Valuable Offensive Player, while JHU’s Kendall Dandridge earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. In addition to these selections, Sullivan and Woodard also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
