The Elizabethtown Blue Jays men’s soccer team took on the Goucher Gophers on the road on Oct. 25 for a Landmark Conference matchup between the two sides. The Blue Jays have lost the past five games, including tough conference matchups between #15 ranked Scranton University and a tight 1-0 loss to #23 ranked Catholic University. The past three games for Etown have been only a one goal difference, as they have fought hard to try and put together momentum to pull out a victory. Goucher came into the matchup 2-2 over the past four games, including 1-0 victories against Lycoming College and Wilkes University. In their most recent performance, the Gophers lost 4-1 at home against Moravian University, moving them to 4-4 in conference play.
Goucher put on the attack early with three shots inside the first ten minutes for the Gophers; however, blocks by the defense and a save by senior goalkeeper Pedro Miranda kept the score even. The Blue Jays had a few opportunities in the middle of the first half, with first-year defender Connor Kirchner and senior midfielder Jude Ashley putting shots on goal for Etown. After around 40 well-defended minutes by both sides, the Gophers finally put points on the board, as a well-placed pass by junior forward AJ Landy to sophomore defender Anthony Ketelsen was put in the back of the net, giving Goucher a 1-0 lead heading into the half.
Etown attempted to tie the game up straight out of the second half with a few shots by sophomore Caba Alvarez in the first few minutes going wide of the post. Goucher continued to go on the attack, forcing Etown to concede four straight corners until a foul reduced the offensive pressure they had put on the Blue Jays’s back line. After a risky challenge by senior midfielder Gui Yamamoto, he picked up a yellow card and a foul halfway through the second half. Goucher was able to add a brace to their total as senior forward Andres Aristimuno netted the Gophers’s second goal of the contest. Etown had a few more opportunities in the final ten minutes of the game with Kirchner, sophomore midfielder Owen Auchenbach and senior forward Aidan Valentine each putting a shot on net. The Goucher defense proved to be too tough to break as the Gophers came away with a 2-0 victory as the Blue Jays moved to 3-10-4 overall on the season.
Miranda finished the game with five saves and two goals allowed for Etown. Kirchner and Ashley led the Blue Jays with three shots on goal. Kirchner, Auchenbach and Ashley were the only players to record shots on goal for Etown in the loss. Now eliminated from Landmark playoff contention, Etown will play their final regular season matchup on the road against Moravian on Oct. 28.
