2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
M. Soccer wins seventh conference title
Issue date: 11/8/07
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With a convincing 4-1 victory over Gettysburg College on Sunday, the Jays claimed their seventh Centennial Conference title in 15 years and laid the groundwork for a deep run in the NCAA tournament. It is the second consecutive title for Hopkins and continues the culture of winning that Coach Matt Smith's previous 14 Blue Jay squads have established.
The 2007 team now stands at 17-3, just two NCAA tournament wins away from tying the 19-win single season high that last year's team set.
Though the Blue Jay attack has been multi-faceted all year, two standouts have emerged from the ranks of the freshman class to make their mark on the Centennial Conference and beyond. Forwards David Drake and Scott Bukoski have emerged as offensive stars. Their talents were on display this weekend as Drake scored his 13th goal of the season and Bukoski netted numbers 18 and 19.
There was no lack of goals in the Centennial Conference championship game on Sunday as Hopkins took the title with a 4-1 rout of Gettysburg. After a pass from Bukoski combined with a strike from Drake, the Jays took the lead in the 15th minute. The team soon saw their advantage evaporate, however, when Gettysburg capitalized on a miscue by the Hopkins defense.
After sophomore midfielder Max Venker earned and scored a penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season, Bukoski added to his first-half assist by pouring in two insurance goals to seal the win.
Coach Smith described his team's second-half strategy and how his aggressiveness paid off.
"We put a lot of pressure on them right to start the second half," Coach Smith said. "When we scored the PK, Gettysburg put more players forward to try and equalize."
Instead of causing problems for Hopkins, the fact that their opponents pressed after Venker's goal gave the Jays space to work in the middle of the field and opened lanes for offensive attacks. Bukoski and his fellow Jays were able to take advantage of the scoring chances and capture the win.
The 2007 team now stands at 17-3, just two NCAA tournament wins away from tying the 19-win single season high that last year's team set.
Though the Blue Jay attack has been multi-faceted all year, two standouts have emerged from the ranks of the freshman class to make their mark on the Centennial Conference and beyond. Forwards David Drake and Scott Bukoski have emerged as offensive stars. Their talents were on display this weekend as Drake scored his 13th goal of the season and Bukoski netted numbers 18 and 19.
There was no lack of goals in the Centennial Conference championship game on Sunday as Hopkins took the title with a 4-1 rout of Gettysburg. After a pass from Bukoski combined with a strike from Drake, the Jays took the lead in the 15th minute. The team soon saw their advantage evaporate, however, when Gettysburg capitalized on a miscue by the Hopkins defense.
After sophomore midfielder Max Venker earned and scored a penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season, Bukoski added to his first-half assist by pouring in two insurance goals to seal the win.
Coach Smith described his team's second-half strategy and how his aggressiveness paid off.
"We put a lot of pressure on them right to start the second half," Coach Smith said. "When we scored the PK, Gettysburg put more players forward to try and equalize."
Instead of causing problems for Hopkins, the fact that their opponents pressed after Venker's goal gave the Jays space to work in the middle of the field and opened lanes for offensive attacks. Bukoski and his fellow Jays were able to take advantage of the scoring chances and capture the win.
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