The Elizabethtown College men’s soccer team picked up its first win of the season Friday, Sept. 4, defeating Immaculata University 4-1 at Hoover Field.
The Blue Jays came out aggressively and controlled much of the opening half, putting strong pressure on Immaculata’s defensive line early. That pressure paid off in the seventh minute when Caba Alvarez found the back of the net to give Elizabethtown an early 1-0 advantage.
Elizabethtown continued to attack as the first half progressed, consistently looking to create opportunities in the Immaculata defensive third. With less than three minutes remaining before halftime, Chase Ballinger doubled the Blue Jays’ lead. Cam Paris sent a cross into the box, where Ballinger finished with a one-touch shot to record his first goal as a Blue Jay.
The two-goal advantage gave Elizabethtown momentum heading into halftime, but Immaculata quickly attempted to turn the game around after the break. Just under three minutes into the second half, the Mighty Macs’ Brady Derkosh scored to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The goal briefly shifted the momentum toward Immaculata, but the Blue Jays responded with a strong defensive and offensive effort. Rather than allowing the Immaculata to build their momentum, Elizabethtown continued to attack and eventually restored its two-goal advantage.
In the 74th minute, junior midfielder Manny Velazquez received the ball near the top of the box after the Jays worked around the field. Velazquez sent a curling shot to the left side of the net, beating the diving Immaculata goalkeeper and giving Elizabethtown a 3-1 lead.
The Blue Jays added one more goal in the final five minutes of the match. Will Withall scored his first goal of the season to cap the scoring and secure a 4-1 victory for Elizabethtown.
“Scoring a goal always feels good, it gives you the sense of accomplishment that all the work you put in during the off season is paying off,” Withall said.
The Jays’ offensive performance was reflected in the final statistics. Elizabethtown outshot Immaculata 26-12 and held a 12-8 advantage in shots on goal. The Blue Jays also earned 10 corner kicks compared to eight for the Mighty Macs.
While the offense provided plenty of firepower, goalkeeper Logan Sumner played an important role in keeping Immaculata from making the game closer. Sumner recorded seven saves in his first career victory.
The win moves Elizabethtown to 1-1 in the young season. It also gave the Jays a strong response after opening the season with a loss, as four different players found the back of the net against Immaculata.
With the victory against Immaculata, the Blue Jays will look to build on their performance when they return to Hoover Field on Sunday, Sept. 6, to host Marywood University at 1 p.m. Elizabethtown will look to carry the offensive momentum from Friday’s match into its second home game of the season.
