Lawrenceville grad helping Johns Hopkins make deep NCAA run
Grace Hillman always focuses on defense and lets her Johns Hopkins teammates take care of scoring goals.
Heck, she hadn’t scored a goal all year, until the Blue Jays needed the biggest goal in school history.
Facing No. 1 Messiah in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament it was Hillman, the former Lawrenceville star, that scored with 1:19 left in the second overtime to send the Blue Jays to their first Final Four.
“I play a pretty defensive position so I’m not always there up in the goal mouth,’’ Hillman said of her midfield spot. “But, on that play in overtime I saw the space ahead of me. I was getting ready and I saw the ball coming and I thought it was my one chance. It was my only goal of the season, but it was the only one we needed.’’
Hopkins (19-2), which has won 15-of-16, will go against Tufts (18-2) in one National Semifinal at 11 a.m. Saturday at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim, PA.
The other semifinal has Middlebury (19-1) facing Rowan (22-0), the New Jersey Athletic Conference champion. The national championship game is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
“It’s pretty crazy and everyone is so excited for this weekend,’’ said Hillman. “It shows how hard we have been working the past two years under our new coach (Jane Wells) and how much time and commitment we put into this team.’’
Then came the win over Messiah, and it validated the hard work and commitment.
“After that win over Messiah it was a big confidence booster and showed that we belong among the best teams in the country,’’ said Hillman. So, it’s exciting to be competing against other great teams this weekend.’’
Hillman has been the Centennial Conference two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Centennial Conference Tournament MVP, a first team AllCentennial Conference player for two years, an All-Region honoree for two years and she has been selected to play in the NFHCA Senior All-Star game.
While the accolades are many, the one thing that will drive Hillman this weekend is the fact this is her senior season and her days on the field are dwindling down.
“It’s definitely crazy how the time has gone,’’ said Hillman. “This is my last week of field hockey and I just want to leave it all out there. Everyone on the team is playing like it’s their senior season. We are saying everyone is a senior this week.’’
When her collegiate career started Hillman was all over the field, scoring six goals in her first two seasons, and then Wells put Hillman in pretty much the same defensive midfield position she held with the Big Red.
“Lawrenceville field hockey gave me a lot and it’s fun to reflect on it,’’ said Hillman. “Lawrenceville taught me so much and I still talk to a bunch of girls on the team. One of the biggest things I took away from Lawrenceville is the team culture and the team dynamic, and I think Ewan (Lisa Ewanchyna, Lawrenceville coach) really helped me with my game sense and vision on the field.’’
Always a composed and poised player on the field, Hillman is a difference maker and she just might be again this weekend.