The Elizabethtown College field hockey team hosted Hood College for youth night at Wolf Field this past week in a non-conference matchup. The Blue Jays hoped to take a key victory before they head on the road for their first of many Landmark Conference matchups.
Etown tried to find their footing early in the contest, however, strong defense by both the Blue Jays and the Mustangs kept the score level through the first quarter.
Hood found their first opportunity of the game off a penalty corner 10 minutes into the first, however, a strong defensive effort by senior goalkeeper Lily DeBlasio kept the game even.
Etown conceded another corner a few seconds later, but a defensive block kept Hood out of the back of the goal. The possession was kept around midfield as time expired to conclude the first quarter.
The second quarter remained relatively uneventful, with neither Etown or Hood being able to find a shot on goal in the 15 minutes of play. Hood received a green card halfway through the quarter. Despite being down because of the penalty, the Blue Jays weren’t able to capitalize as the score remained 0-0 heading into the halftime break.
Etown was able to electrify their offense coming out of the break, with first year forward Carly Schumacher taking the first shot on goal. Sophomore forward Sara Watson finally broke the deadlock five minutes into the second half, scoring off an assist by first-year forward Avery Mettle.
Hood tried to return the favor after the pass-back, taking two shots on goal less than 30 seconds after the Blue Jays goal. DeBlasio made back-to-back saves on consecutive shots by the Mustangs, keeping the Etown lead.
Watson was able to find another opportunity in the third, as she was able to score a brace as she increased the Blue Jay lead to 2-0. That lead wouldn’t last for too long as Hood was able to find an answer with three minutes left in the quarter, narrowing their deficit to one as the third quarter came to a close.
If Hood hadn’t been on the attack in the first three periods, they certainly were looking for the tie in the fourth, totalling 13 shots in the 15 minutes of play. While the Mustangs were attempting to force their way back into a lead, the Blue Jays couldn’t find a chance to create a counterattack, totalling 0 shots in the quarter. On the 13th and final shot of the period with only 30 seconds to go, Hood finally found the back of the goal, tying the game up at 2-2 and forcing overtime.
DeBlasio continued to hold strong in goal, making two key saves in the first overtime to keep the score even. Junior forward Nia Mountis got her opportunity in the first overtime, however, a save by the Hood goalkeeper kept the game level and forced a second overtime period.
Hood continued pushing forward, forcing DeBlasio to make two more saves. Etown had their chance as the period was expiring, but a blocked Mountis shot and a shot wide by senior midfielder Hannah Long couldn’t end the game.
The game went into a shootout and continued to remain even, with Hood and Etown missing their first attempts. Etown went two for four in their first few shootout attempts, with sophomore midfielder Sophie Myers and Schumacher scoring in their attempts. After a miss by Hood, sophomore midfielder Kaylie Noel buried her shot in the back of the net, giving Etown a hard fought 3-2 victory at home.
DeBlasio was the heart and soul of the Blue Jays defense, making 14 saves, only one shy of her career best earlier this season of 15 against Franklin and Marshall College. Watson led Etown’s offense with two goals on two shots with Mettle picking up the lone assist. Long made a key play on the defensive end, picking up a defensive save en route to the win.
Etown moves on to 5-2 on the season after that win. The Blue Jays head on a little bit of a road stretch, however, will be back at home on Oct 13 against Catholic in a key Landmark Conference matchup.
