The Elizabethtown College men’s soccer team got back into action for the first time since the annual Marshmallow Game on Saturday, Sept. 23. The Blue Jays welcomed the University of Scranton to Ira R. Herr Field, where they’d take care of business with a 2-1 victory.
Sophomore forward Pedro Vinent got the Jays rolling early with his second goal of the season, and junior midfielder Hudson Peck came off the bench to break the tie late, sending the fans into a frenzy. Graduate student goalkeeper Kelvin Del Cid and the rest of the Blue Jay defense also made an impact, holding Scranton to just one goal and helping secure the team’s third win of the season.
As soon as the opening whistle sounded, Etown applied pressure on the offensive end. They totaled six shots in the opening half of play, and Vinent found the back of the net in the fifteenth minute off a beautiful ball from graduate student midfielder Mehluko Letsoalo. Etown would concede a goal 15 minutes later, but the team had found a rhythm offensively, as the teams went into the half knotted at one.
The second half looked more even, as both squads were finding chances in the opposing half but could not find a way to tuck the ball away. It wasn’t until late, in the 79th minute, that the Blue Jays broke the tie. Peck unleashed a masterful strike past the goalkeeper for goal number one of the young season. Sophomore defender Thomas Smith and junior midfielder Pedro Guizardi assisted on the goal. After that, Etown locked in defensively and notched their third win of the season, moving to 3-2-2. They followed this up with a match against Lebanon Valley College at home on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
The women’s soccer team looked to move to 3-3-1 on Saturday, Sept. 23 against Scranton. Unfortunately, they were outmatched, losing 3-0. Junior goalkeeper Adrienne McGallicher put together a valiant effort in this one. Scranton fired off 11 shots on goal, and McGallicher would make eight saves. However, Etown’s offense could not find any sort of success with their shots, being unable to score on their four shots on goal.
It was all Scranton early on, as Etown had just one shot in the first half. Junior forward Marissa Vandernick fired off the lone attempt in the fourth minute of play, but Scranton’s keeper would keep it out of harm’s way. Of the nine shots Scranton took in the first 45 minutes, only one got past the goalkeeper, giving Etown some hope as they headed into halftime.
Things got away from the Blue Jays in the second half. While the team found a rhythm offensively, getting six shots off, they couldn’t find the back of the net. Scranton would tack on two more goals and put this one out of reach, winning 3-0. With that, they move to 2-4-1.
