This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Sophia Omuemu.

After a series of quick passes, junior Terasa Vassallo was able to score GW’s first goal of the half due to an assist from junior Jordy Bathras. Despite the renewed momentum, the Colonials were not able to come back from a seven point deficit and ultimately fell to No. 12 John Hopkins 16-6.

“I think we came out slow in the first half. We were playing great helping defense but were too slow on cutters,” head coach Tara Hannaford said.

The John Hopkins Blue Jays entered the game with an aggressive offense ready to attack. After netting their first goal off of a free position shot, the Blue Jays proceeded to go on a 7-0 run. At the end of the first half, they had made nine of their 24 shot attempts.

In hopes of entering the half on a positive note, Bathras was able to successfully score another goal with two minutes left. But John Hopkins replied quickly with a goal of its own, which made the score 9-2 at the end of the first.

“Offensively, we didn’t move as much as needed and we had a few too many turnovers,” Hannaford said. “The team rebounded after the first 10 minutes and in the second half.”

At the half, Hannaford reinforced the need for her team to stick to their basic principles and made minor adjustments.

The Colonials were able to enter the second half strong with a goal from junior Lindsey DiAntonio. But the Blue Jays quickly replied with two goals of their own.

“Our defensive transition continued to cause turnovers,” Hannaford said.

During the last 25 minutes of play, GW was only able to net three goals compared to the Blue Jays’ six.

“Our defense stepped up a little more and our offense created more opportunities,” Hannaford said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t finish our shots. Our slow start really hurt us.”