Elizabethtown College’s athletic programs had their fair share of struggles on the road this past weekend on Saturday, Oct. 5th.
Field Hockey: The field hockey team traveled to Madison, New Jersey for a matchup with Drew University on Saturday afternoon. Things looked promising early for the Blue Jays, but the game ultimately produced a 3-1 loss.
Right after the opening whistle, the Drew Rangers immediately supplied offensive pressure. They unloaded shot after shot on the Etown goal, but senior goalkeeper Angelina Giglio-Tos was up to the task, making six saves in the first seven minutes. A few minutes later, it would be the Blue Jays who would strike first, when in the ninth minute, sophomore forward Drew Bridges connected on a breakaway with a shot to put Etown in front 1-0. First-year midfielder Meadow Keet assisted on the goal.
Following the first quarter, the Rangers took off. They tied it up off a penalty stroke goal just over a minute into the quarter and began to lock in defensively. In the third, they’d find the net twice more with goals in the 35th and 36th minute. That would be all they needed, as their three unanswered goals would hand Etown their seventh loss of the season. The Blue Jays now sit at 4-7 and will look to bounce back on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. against Susquehanna University on the road.
Men’s Cross Country: The men’s cross country team raced in the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem this past Saturday. The event was hosted by Lehigh University. Etown took home 34th place out of 41 competitors with 922 points, and three Blue Jays managed to crack the top 200. Senior Daniel Myers led the charge, taking the top spot for Etown with a 169th place finish. Senior Carson Wiley and sophomore Derek Kendig followed with 181st and 187th place finishes. Other Blue Jay finishers included sophomore Will Inglis, who finished 232nd, and Nolan Pettit, who crossed the line in 239th.
The team will race again on Saturday, Oct. 19th at 11 a.m. in the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle in Glassboro, New Jersey.
Women’s Cross Country: In the women’s cross country race at the Paul Short Invitational, the team finished with 911 points, good for 33rd out of 46 competing teams. Fifth-year Kelty Oaster had another dominant showing with a 98th place finish, breaking the 23-minute mark in the process. Sophomore Keely Fitzgerald also impressed with a 161st placing. Junior Gwen Young and senior Maureen Bosak both cracked the top 300, finishing 210th and 220th respectively, and first-year Addison Kleinle finished in 317th.
The women’s team will also race in the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 11 a.m.
Men’s Tennis: The men’s tennis completed their season with a 6-1 loss against Wilkes University last Saturday in Wilkes-Barre at 4 p.m. This moved them to 0-2.
Sophomore Stefanos Billis earned the only win for Etown. He won his singles match in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-3. While the Blue Jays made some other games competitive, they fell short by the day’s end.
Women’s Tennis: The women’s tennis team also finished their season 0-2 after 5-2 loss to Wilkes in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Both points came in singles matches for Etown. First-years Hannah Walker and McKenna Watson did the damage. Walker dominated in her match with a victory in two sets, 7-6 and 6-2. Watson outlasted her opponent in three sets, losing the first 6-2, but claiming the next two sets 6-3 and 10-4 for the win. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays couldn’t find any more success throughout the day, dropping their last game of the season.
