The Elizabethtown College women’s field hockey team have asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with this season, winning their last five games and holding a conference record of 4-1, placing them third in the highly competitive Commonwealth Conference.
Not only are they in the mix of things in the conference, but the Blue Jays have also proved to be a team worthy of national recognition. They are currently ranked 18th in the nation, which is the third highest national ranking the Jays have received since fall 2009 at 17th. Senior captain and starting goalie Lindy Hamp stated, “Our coach wants us to enjoy it for a minute, but being nationally ranked puts a bulls-eye on our back for other teams, so it’s made us work that much harder.”
Last week’s game against Alvernia University was a nail biter. What was thought to be an easy win for the Jays turned out to be a fight until the very end. Alvernia went unanswered for the entire first half. Senior forward Lauren Guido scored twice for the Crusaders at the 13th and the 30th minute. Junior Marlena Johnson had previously made a fantastic high flying save against Guido by leaping out and smacking the ball to clear it, possibly preventing a hat trick for the Crusader. The Jays, down by two, seemed unshaken when finally, three minutes into the second half, sophomore Taylor Alwine started the Jays’ march toward victory with a rocket off a corner shot. From that point on, the tide of the game shifted and the Jays came alive, players and spectators alike.
With this newfound focus and energy, senior Nadine Yunginger blew past the defense with a break away that ended with an equalizer. With the clock winding down, the players knew they needed to make a move to avoid overtime. With less than seven minutes remaining, sophomore Kendra  Hudson scored the winning goal, off an assist from, yet again, Yunginger. From then on, the Jays played some serious defense and even acquired two penalties for their aggressiveness. Playing down by two, the Jays kept the ball out of their own circle, holding off Alvernia for the win. Hamp said that the Jays handled the adversity of the game with “unbelievable perseverance,” showing her unwavering belief in the success of the team.
The next game at Arcadia found the Jays in a different situation, up against a slightly tougher team and on the road. This didn’t seem to affect the Jays as they took the lead early with senior Casey Fletcher’s fifth goal of the season at the six minute mark; Fletcher was assisted by Yunginger, who again found herself a key component to the team’s offensive success with a goal less than five minutes later. This was her fifth goal of the season.
However, Arcadia’s Jennie Famel sent a goal in at 26 minutes, reducing the lead. With a single-goal lead, the Blue Jays found themselves in a back and forth game depending on the defensive leadership of senior captain Samantha Earle, who earlier in the game made a key save. At the game’s end, the Jays had picked up another conference win. Yunginger found herself within four assists of the College’s record at 34.
With the Jays on a hot streak, it is no wonder that Hamp was confident about their upcoming game against Stevenson University. The Jays needed to  shut down Stevenson forward Kaitlyn May, who has eight goals this season, and Caitlin Dempsey, with six for the season. Etown was successful in that regard, winning the game 2-1. Alwine scored both goals in the win. Her goals were about a minute apart.
The Jays’ offense put the pressure on the seasoned Stevenson goalie Katie Cavanaugh, who had a .748 save percentage, by taking 14 shots during the game. Stevenson’s lone goal game from Karen Mata about three minutes after Alwine scored her second.