On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Elizabethtown College women’s field hockey team played against Scranton to determine if they would take the lead in the landmark conference. Etown’s goalie, junior Rachel Murphy, made nine saves throughout the entirety of the game.
During the first quarter, senior forward Salena Paronish took a shot for the Blue Jays, but it was saved by the Royals goalie. Our team thought they had plenty of time to break the scoreless tie and take the lead when Scranton scored their first goal in the last three minutes of the first quarter, making it 0-1 heading into the second quarter of play.
Scranton continued on their trek of taking shots on goal. When entering the second quarter, they recorded five shots total in that quarter, along with two penalty corners. All of this occurred in the first eight minutes of the beginning of the second quarter. Scranton was not going to back down after already scoring in the first quarter. Unfortunately, twenty-three minutes into the game Scranton managed to score another goal, bringing the overall score to 0-2.
Our Blue Jays were not going to let Scranton take the lead any longer. The team played outstanding defense for the rest of the quarter and by halftime, the score stayed at 0-2. But, in the third quarter, Scranton was ready to reinforce their high-powered offensive attack. Quickly, they tacked on another goal in the first minute after halftime. Our Blue Jays were determined to score a goal, finding some momentum on the offensive end. They gained back some control of the ball and managed to score a goal in the last three minutes of the third quarter. This goal was scored by first-year midfielder Mia Fino with an assist from first-year midfielder Hannah Long. The Blue Jays got their first goal of the game. However, this was not enough when entering the fourth quarter with the score standing at 1-3. Still, the Blue Jays found something in the third, hoping to make a strong comeback in the final quarter.
However, the Royals continued to play with the momentum they exhibited all game to get one last goal in minute 57 of the game. The final score came to 1-4 after Etown managed to score one goal, while Scranton shockingly scored one goal in each quarter, playing with consistency all game. This was a tough game for our Blue Jays, but they hope to be able to bring back that momentum for their next game against Stockton University in Galloway, N.J. on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.
