The Elizabethtown College men’s lacrosse team captured the first win of their season this past weekend on Saturday, March 9. Their 17-10 win over St. Mary’s (Md.) improves their record to 1-3. With plenty of the season left to be played, the Blue Jays will hope to use this as a turning point moving forward.
A strong offense stole the show in this game. The Blue Jays offense was efficient early and often, making the right passes to find the back of the net. The whole team really came together, as 11 different Blue Jays found a way to score. Four of those Blue Jays found the net multiple times. Fourth-year midfielder Connor Stewart and fourth-year attacker Colin Kondracki led the team with three goals each. First-year attacker Tristan Coleman and fourth-year attacker Gavin Gismondi also came through for the team. Each of them tallied two goals on the day, setting the pace for an Etown victory. Fourth-year Brayden Franey also put up a solid showing. His 12 save day kept the opponent at bay, giving the offense a chance to run away with this one.
After going down 1-0 early, Etown quickly took over. They scored less than a minute after they conceded the opening goal and took off from there. From there, the Blue Jays went on a run that saw them score four straight goals before St. Mary’s (Md.) could break through for another. There would be another couple goals for Etown late in the first quarter, one being with just seven seconds to play, as they held a 6-2 lead heading into the second quarter.
The next quarter was a showcase of pure dominance on the defensive end. Kondracki would slot his third goal of the day past the goalie early in the period and Etown would find the goal two more times. However, the defense is what really stood out in this quarter. Franey made three of his 12 saves and defense kept the pressure on, shutting out St. Mary’s (Md.) in the quarter.
From that point on, Etown kept a steady lead. The last two quarters saw both teams putting consistent pressure on the offensive end. The Blue Jays pulled away in the third, scoring six goals to their opponent’s four and extending their lead to nine. St. Mary’s (Md.) would score four straight times to begin the final quarter of play. Etown would manage to close them out though, scoring two more goals before the final whistle sounded to put the nail in the coffin. Each managed eight goals in the final two quarters with Etown pulling out the win 17-10.
This win gives the Blue Jays some much needed confidence as they take the road for their next two games. They’ll begin the road trip with a matchup in Lancaster, Pa. against Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, March 16 at 12 p.m. and then play at 6 p.m. on March 20 at Widener University in Chester, Pa.
