The Elizabethtown College men’s lacrosse team defeated the Cardinals of Catholic University in an 8-4 victory, Saturday, March 28. This win causes the Blue Jays to remain undefeated in the Landmark Conference. The Blue Jays have won the last seven games they have played. With just one more win they will tie the longest win streak in program history.
Sophomore Joe Clark helped push the Blue Jays to victory by scoring three goals against the Cardinals. This is Clark’s fourth hat trick this season.
The Blue Jays came out hot and were able to get off 18 shots in the first half of play, compared to the Cardinals eight shots. The Blue Jays scored their fourth goal of the first half in the last ten seconds. Sophomore Nick Specht was able to score the final goal of the first half, allowing the Blue Jays to go into the third quarter with a 4-l lead. The Blue Jays extended their lead in the third quarter with three unanswered goals.
Sophomore Mike Specht scored Etown’s final goal in the fourth quarter with 12:33 remaining in the game. Senior goalkeeper Chris Wenger made 11 saves against the Cardinals, five of which were in the fourth quarter, stopping the Cardinal’s attempt for a late comeback.
The Blue Jays defense helped solidify the team’s win Saturday by shutting down the Cardinals offense when they had three extra-man situations. The Blue Jays’ defense did not allow the Cardinals to score while they had the advantage. The Blue Jays defense is ranked seventh in Division III scoring defense allowing 5.11 goals per game.
“We’ve been playing extremely well because we’ve been playing fast and focusing on getting better at the little things,” junior defenseman Jake Snyder said after defeating Catholic.
The Blue Jays are confident in their abilities to keep improving as a team by working hard in practice. “I think the team has played well and has been able to handle different adversities that will help prepare us we come down the home stretch,” junior midfielder Jake Evans said.
Sophomore defender Luke Stephens is also pleased the team’s work ethic and results. “I’m excited with what we’ve done this year so far, but if we keep working hard I’m very excited to see what we can do with the rest of our season,” he said.
The Blue Jays attempted to tie the longest win streak record in program history yesterday when they faced Immaculata University.
Etown jumped out on Mighty Macs early in the game, scoring nine first quarter goals en route to a 17-10 victory.
The Blue Jays held a 9-1 lead after the first quarter, with sophomore Cody Larkin scoring the first goal of the game. Etown jumped out to an 8-0 lead before the host team could get on the scoreboard.
The Mighty Macs fell to 1-8 on the season but managed to score eight second half goals to make the final score a little more respectable.
A 14-2 halftime lead for the Blue Jays could have forced Immaculata to throw in the towel, but the Mighty Macs fought back. Immaculata outscored the Blue Jays 8-3 over the final two quarters.
Clark led the Blue Jays offensive attack with four goals and two assists on the afternoon. Mike Specht and Larkin had three goals each, while Specht added an assist as well.
Senior Russ LeClair tied Clark for the team-lead in assists with two. Etown outshot Immaculata 50-25 and won 21 of the 31 faceoffs.
Sophomore Davis Miracle started in goal for the Blue Jays, playing the entire first half and making one save. Sophomore Trey Yetter and junior Basle Lavery also saw time in goal.
The Blue Jays will host the Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday afternoon on Wolf Field.
