With the clouds hovering over Wolf Field and the stands filling up with parents, students and fans, the afternoon Landmark Conference game kicked off between the Scranton Royals and the Elizabethtown Blue Jays. Coming into the game Scranton was hot with big wins in their last two outings and looked to improve to 2-0 in conference play. However, Etown hoped to prevent Scranton from spoiling the homecoming festivities by getting a victory on their home turf.
As the whistle blew to begin the first quarter, Scranton had many opportunities, with five shots on goal in the early going. The Blue Jays did well recovering though, providing many counter-attack chances early to create a back-and-forth game. The contest’s first goal came from Scranton’s graduate captain forward Katie Redding off a pass from the backline by senior Lauren Franco. Scranton quickly scored their second goal of the game by freshman midfielder Shana Goldsmith from a centering pass by graduate Bridget Abraldes.
Scranton established itself in the driver’s seat for the majority of the first quarter, but Etown found some footing in the second quarter by winning the possession battle. Their senior goalkeeper Angelina Giglis-Tos made 12 key saves on Scranton’s chances throughout the entire game. A lot of attacking opportunities were made by both teams in the second, yet both defenses held strong. Etown found their first goal of the game with a wrist shot from the edge of the striking circle into the top of the net by junior midfielder Rachel Troutman, with an assist by first-year midfielder Hailey Meyer.
The Jays used the momentum and came out inspired after the halftime break. They quickly equalized on a goal by sophomore midfielder Hannah Long within the first five minutes of the third quarter. The flow of the game was back-and-forth with both teams getting chances at scoring. The Royals retook the lead on a goal by sophomore forward Ava De Natale off a rebound from a previous shot. Scranton then received a penalty shot near the end of the third quarter, and senior midfielder Regan Dolan put it away to increase the lead. This lead was quickly cut down though. Etown scored once more within a minute later, as Long earned her second goal of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Scranton would continue their offensive pressure with two goals from Redding in the fourth quarter to give herself a hat-trick and end the game 6-3 in favor of Scranton.
“Scranton is a tough team. We played some of the best field hockey I’ve seen us play all season,” Etown head coach Grace Hardy said following the match. “Our biggest takeaway is that we’re going to see them again in the playoffs and we’re going to win when it matters most.”
Scranton’s Coach Colleen Moyer plans to prepare for the upcoming games by “taking it one day at a time, one practice at a time and one game at a time. Just trying to build on our foundation we’ve built.”
Following the result of this one, Scranton moves to 9-1, and Elizabethtown moves to 4-5 on the season.
