On Sept. 28, the Elizabethtown College men’s and women’s soccer teams took on the Scranton University Royals in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Both teams were looking to win the first game of their respective Landmark Conference to start the new season. Conditions were cloudy and damp for the games. 

The women’s team lost the game 3-0 with all goals scored by Scranton in the second half of the game. Scranton, although undefeated on the road this year, have struggled at home. This was Scranton’s second win at home. Fifth-year midfielder Maddie McWhinney had the only shot for Etown, but it was blocked by Scranton.

The Blue Jays had five saves in the first half by senior goalkeeper Adrienne McGallicher and four in the second half.

 “ I left everything I had on the field,” McGallicher said. “But unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted.”

Unfortunately, the Blue Jays had six fouls in total during the game, adding to the disappointing loss. Reflecting, McGallicher said, “All we can do now is learn from what happened and focus on the next game.” 

The women’s next game is at home against Drew University for the second game of the Landmark Conference schedule on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. 

The men’s team lost their game 1-0 in what was a tight matchup through the second half. Scranton scored the lone goal of the game in the second half at the 54th minute. The last nine games between these two teams have been won or lost within two goals, and this game was no exception. 

The Blue Jays had four saves throughout the contest. Their offense was close to scoring a goal in the first half, when they tallied six shots. However, the Scranton defense was stronger in the second half, and the Blue Jays were limited to just two shot attempts. Junior forward Aidan Valentine and senior midfielder Hudson Peck each had two shot attempts, while junior midfielder Jude Ashley and junior forward Pedro Vincent each fired off one shot attempt. The referee blew the whistle quite often in this one, as both teams had their fair share of fouls. The Blue Jays had 12 and Scranton had 13. 

First-year head coach Evan Scheffey has faced both ups and downs in his first season.

 “The guys have been working hard through a tough first half of the season as we have played one of the most challenging strengths of schedule in our region,” Scheffey said. “ But we had a big early season result against Franklin and Marshall as we earned the Smith-Herr Boot trophy back for the first time since 2017.”

The men’s next game, which will be the second game of the Landmark Conference, is also against Drew University at home on Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m. 

Both the men’s and women’s teams will look to win their first games of the Landmark Conference this weekend, as they head into a long stretch of conference matchups.