On Sept. 17, 2025 the Elizabethtown College men’s soccer team traveled to Messiah University for the annual Marshmallow Game. Students from both schools look forward to the Marshmallow Game every year with anticipation to throw marshmallows at the opposing school’s fans and onto the field. This yearly event attracts an enthusiastically charged audience excited to partake in an Etown tradition. 

The rivalry between Etown and Messiah dates back to 1987. According to game announcers, the fans’ idea of throwing marshmallows on the field sparked after Messiah found a scouting report where Etown was calling them “soft.” This lit a fire between the teams and resulted in Messiah’s fans throwing marshmallows into the crowd saying, “who’s soft now.” 

Ever since, marshmallows have been flying off the shelves of local grocery stores and into the hands of students. Anticipation increases the week leading up to the annual Marshmallow Game, with students ready to participate in throwing marshmallows at the opposing teams players and fans. 

This tradition is an Etown College staple, and the campus community is full of support and engagement. According to 2028 class President Adam Hobbs, each year it is the sophomore class’s responsibility for designing the annual Marshmallow Game T-shirt. 

“Having a new T-shirt every year is just part of the Marshmallow Game tradition. It allows each class that comes into Etown to put their own stamp on the event- with fresh designs, creative ideas and their own process for making, marketing, and selling the shirts,” Hobbs said. This year, sophomore Emma Seiger designed the royal blue shirt to match the men’s soccer team’s away kits. 

Hobbs is dedicated to student engagement. He leads the officer team in planning events, organizing fundraisers and making sure the class has a great experience throughout the year. “This year, I started open meetings where anyone in our class can stop by, share ideas, or ask questions. It’s a simple way to make sure everyone feels heard and hopefully gets more students excited to participate,” Hobbs said. 

The new T-shirt design every year is just one of the ways to get students pumped about the game. Throughout the week, students were excited to travel with the team and show their support on the road. With the Marshmallow game being away this year, the student assembly organized a bus shuttle that was available to all students for free transportation to the game. 

This was the first year that bus transportation was available to students, thanks to the Student Assembly. Student Assembly Treasurer Griffen MacLaren brought up the idea of taking some funds out to offer bus transportation to the game during one of the meetings. 

President speaker of Student Assembly Kyler Henne, supported this idea along with the rest of Student Assembly. As speaker, Henne leads all meetings and represents all Etown students to the Board of Trustees and senior faculty committees. “And most importantly, I strive and am passionate about making sure all student voices are heard!” Henne said. 

With the Marshmallow Game being at Messiah this year, having free bus transportation is a way to get more students involved. “This way any student that was wanting to be part of this amazing event could have the opportunity to go, especially if they didn’t have personal transportation to the game,” Henne said. “We want everyone to be a part of these special moments and to create everlasting memories. From Griffen’s idea it led us to wanting to do everything we could to make it happen.”

Henne is dedicated as president speaker and coordinating student opportunities that align with the Student Assembly’s mission. “We want every student to have the chance to be involved. Without the amazing students, none of this would be possible, so with any way that we can provide fair and equal opportunities to all students that’s exactly what we will do,” Henne said.

Between new yearly shirts and free transportation to the game, the campus community was filled with excitement leading up to the annual Marshmallow Game. Student officers are hard at work and committed to fostering a positive and welcoming environment for all students. As Hobbs puts it, “After all, who doesn’t want to chuck marshmallows at each other?”