The Elizabethtown College women’s soccer team ended their seven-game unbeaten streak when they traveled to Haverford, Pa. Saturday to take on the 6-1 Haverford Fords who were unbeaten at home with a record of 5-0. The Blue Jays nearly gave Haverford their first loss at home after taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. However, the Fords came back with two goals in the second half to give the Blue Jays their first loss of the season.
Senior forward/midfielder Laura Wingert scored the only Blue Jay goal of the game, which occurred in the first half off an assist from sophomore midfielder Kendra Mancino. The second half was all Haverford as they scored in the 66th minute with the other goal coming in the 88th minute. Both goals by Haverford were from corner kicks. Wingert said of the tough second half, “We played extremely well in the first half, but the energy let down a little in the second. We still played really well in the flow of play, but unfortunately we gave up two goals on restarts.”
The Fords led the Blue Jays in shots 10-9 and the teams were evenly matched for the majority of the game.  A controversial call took away a goal that was scored by the Blue Jays, and instead, they were awarded a throw-in.  Senior midfielder Rebekah Richards saw action in the tough loss as well.  Richards explained the team’s feelings going into halftime with a one-goal lead over the very good Haverford team: “We felt really good about having the lead, but we knew we had to come out strong and try to get another goal.  They are a tough team, and we expected them to come out just as hard.”
The Blue Jays must now travel over two hours away Wednesday night to take on the very talented Misericordia Cougars.  The Cougars’ only loss of the year was a 2-0 defeat against Messiah College on Saturday. The Cougars have put together a strong season so far that includes a 6-1 defeat of Bryn Mawr and an 11-0 thrashing against Lycoming College. Their overall record is 6-1-1. Also coming off their first loss of the season, the Blue Jays can expect a battle from the Cougars, who will be eager to defend their home field and bounce back from their loss. When Wingert was asked about the long drive and her expectations for Wednesday’s game, she responded, “We know going in we have a tough game against a very skilled and well-coached team.  It’s a long way to travel for a late game on a weekday.”  After experiencing their first loss of the season, Wingert was asked if she felt her and her teammates had something more to prove now.  “We are going to have to go in with high energy and an underdog attitude to show that we are competitive with these nationally-ranked teams,” she said.
The Blue Jays face a tough task in not just rebounding from their first loss of the season but taking on a very good and talented team on the opponent’s home field.  Before the Cougars’ Saturday loss against Messiah, they cracked the top 25 standings and were nationally ranked.  There is no question the Blue Jays will be in for a war on Wednesday, but they are not intimidated. When asked how the Blue Jays will prepare for the Cougars on Wednesday, Richards said, “We’re just going to keep our confidence up and continue to work hard in practice.  It will be a battle Wednesday, but I know we can pull out a win.”