Of the four teams remaining in the NCAA Division III tournament, only Illinois Wesleyan gave up more goals in the regular season than Johns Hopkins did. But the No. 20 Blue Jays have flipped the script in the postseason.
The defense has surrendered just two goals in regulation and overtime in four playoff games, tying top-ranked Lynchburg (25-0-1) for the fewest goals allowed in the tournament.
The key for Johns Hopkins (19-3-2), according to coach Leo Weil, has been a team-wide effort to retain possession and limit scoring chances for opposing offenses. Four postseason opponents have combined for 25 shots, which is the fewest among the semifinalists.
"I always feel like if we can take the pressure off our defense and not let them be constantly under fire, I think that's the biggest thing," Weil said Tuesday. "If we can keep possession, that can sort of negate what the other team can do. I think we've done a good job of that, but they've been really stellar in limiting teams' opportunities. … I think it's more of a team defense – us keeping possession and if we lose it, putting pressure on the other team and trying to get it back right away."
Sunday's 1-0 win against No. 9 Thomas More was notable for two developments. Saints junior forward Olivia Huber, who is tied for first in the nation in goals with 36, and freshman forward Julia Flagge-Echols, who is tied for 12th in goals with 25, were shut out.
And the Blue Jays defense was forced to play without sophomore center back Adrienne Johnson (hamstring). But senior Amanda Massey shifted from her usual outside back position and filled the void.
That kind of versatility has been a foundation for the unit, senior defender Emily Nagourney said.
"We have a very deep bench," she said. "So we have people who can come in, and we really try to work as a unit. It starts from the top. If we lose the ball up top, everyone knows that it's their job to get the ball back. … I really think the key is having a deep bench because it's really hard for our outside backs to go 90 minutes, pushing upfield and basically doing full-field sprints for the entire game. So having multiple people on the team who can come in and do the same job, the level doesn't decrease."
When Johns Hopkins meets No. 5 Williams (20-1-1) in Friday's semifinal at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, the defense won't have to worry about scorers of Huber's and Flagge-Echols' caliber. But 12 different players have scored at least one goal for the Ephs, and that kind of distribution might be even more worrisome.
"We don't want to let anybody score because it doesn't matter if one person has one goal and another has 35 if they score," Nagourney said. "If they score, that's not good for us. So we'll just keep doing the same thing, making sure that everyone's covered and that everyone is working together."