Nov. 17, 2010
When Melanie Hopkins walked onto the campus at UMass Lowell this fall, no one cared that she was one of the greatest goalies to ever come out of Harwich High School.
Her savvy kick saves, her clutch cover ups, and the impressive 68-8 record she compiled as a four-year starter and four-time South Shore League All-Star were all a thing of the past. She had to prove herself all over again.
And that's exactly what's she done, and in a most extraordinary way.
A freshman on the UMass Lowell field hockey team, Hopkins has posted 15 shutouts, tying the NCAA Division II record for single season shutouts, while leading the 20-0 River Hawks to their first-ever undefeated season.
In 1,349 minutes and 13 seconds played, Hopkins (who's started in all 20 games) has allowed just four goals and recorded 71 saves.
"Melanie has done a great job for us, exactly what we've expected her to do," UMass Lowell field hockey coach Shannon Hlebichuk said. "We don't ask our goalkeepers to make a lot of saves each game (she's averaging four), but those four are very important to us. She's done an awesome job coming in as a freshman and doing her job."
With two other goalies on the roster, Hopkins wasn't guaranteed a starting role. In fact, there was no certainty she'd see any time in net, which is what fueled her fire.
"I was absolutely determined to start," said Hopkins. "I wasn't boisterous about it and I didn't try to intimidate the other goalies on our team. I tried to come out and show the coaches and other players that I can handle this position and nobody can do it better."
That was apparent right from the start.
Hopkins was named the Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Week on Sept. 7 for stopping all 20 shots she faced in UMass Lowell's first three victories over Mansfield (6-0), No. 8 IUP (6-0) and Millersville (1-0).
She was again honored by the NE-10 on Sept. 20 as Goalkeeper and Rookie of the Week after the River Hawks won a pair of games on the road (defeating Merrimack 5-0 and Saint Anselm 4-0), with Hopkins stopping all six shots she faced.
More honors followed as Hopkins was named Co-Goalkeeper of the Week on Sept.27 after earning her sixth shutout of the year against Stonehill, which recruited Hopkins.
She was named NE-10 Freshman of the Week on Oct. 18 for breaking the program record for single-season shutouts after recording her 10th in a 6-0 victory over Southern Connecticut.
Lastly, she was honored as NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, as well as Rookie of the Week on Nov. 1 for helping the River Hawks set the program record for consecutive shutout minutes at 606:48.
"Melanie is a fantastic shot blocker, she does a terrific job of positioning herself in front of the ball and she has great instincts and quick feet, which is what you need to be a successful goal keeper at this level," said Hlebichuk. "But what's most impressive is that she never loses focus on the shot at hand. She isn't worried about the next shot that's coming. She's only concerned with the one she's facing at the moment."
Maybe the best example of Hopkins' unbreakable concentration came in UMass Lowell's 1-0 win over Pennsylvania-based Millersville in early September. Hopkins stopped all four shots she faced, allowing the River Hawks to hang on in what turned out to be their closest game of the year.
No one really challenged UMass after that point. The River Hawks out-scored their opponents by a whopping 103-4 margin this season. A total of 14 different players have scored for the north of Boston school, led by Tewksbury's Sammy Macy (27 goals, 14 assists), Amsebury's Katie Enaire (26 goals, six assists), and North Andover's Liz Day (12 goals, 13 assists).
"Our teams' biggest strength is ball possession," said Hopkins. "We're very good at transferring the ball, working give-and-go's and changing fields. Everyone is aware of where everyone is and where they need to be. It's almost like we have a psychic connection."
With Hopkins anchoring the defense, UMass Lowell wrapped up the NE-10 regular season title last week with a 10-0 win over Saint Anselm College, cementing the River Hawks' first undefeated season, and the first for the school since the football team went 10-0 in 1991. It was also the River Hawks' first NE-10 regular season championship since 2008 and their third in the last four years.
The rich tradition of winning extends beyond conference titles. In 2005, UMass Lowell won the National Championship with former Harwich players Joanna Daluze and Jayne Vagenas paving the way (Daluze scored the championship-clinching goal).
Hopkins said that factored into her decision to pick UMass Lowell over the other schools that came calling.
"When I came to the school during my recruiting trip, Shannon told me I'd have a chance to contribute to an NCAA title," said Hopkins. "After seeing the team, I knew we had the potential for this type of season."
That's not to say the team's pursuit of perfection has been easy. At least not for Hopkins, who quickly learned her skills would be put to the test every single day.
"In the college game, you may only see one or two shots, but it's imperative you make those stops," said Hopkins. "If I don't, I know my coach can pull me out, because there are two other goalkeepers of a high caliber waiting to come in. In high school, if I was having a bad day, I'd stay in just because I didn't have a backup."
For Hopkins, pressure has presented itself in other forms. At the collegiate level, she's faced a greater variety of shots, harder shots, and has had to adjust to the self-start rule that allows attackers to resume play after a whistle regardless of whether the defense is ready. Yet through it all, she's stood tall.
"I don't know if it's common or uncommon to start a freshman in goal, but our philosophy is that we put the best 11 players no the field at their respective positions," said Hlebichuk. "Melanie asserted herself in the pre-season. She was really competitive, she wanted to earn the starting role and she proved she deserved it."
UMasss begins post-season play by hosting the conference tournament this week with hopes of eventually hoisting the NCAA trophy.
"There's no need to be nervous," said Hopkins. "If we come out and do what we've done in our previous 20 games, I'm confident we'll come out on top."
