For the 37th time in each program’s history, Elizabethtown College took on the Messiah University Eagles on the road for the annual Marshmallow Game. The game’s history began in 1987, when the Blue Jays had a scouting report calling the Eagles’ team ‘soft,’ resulting in the fans retaliating the next season by throwing marshmallows at the Etown players, coining its current title.
Last season, the Blue Jays took a 4-0 loss, allowing Messiah to pick up their 30th win against Etown since 1997. The Eagles came into the game 0-5, hoping to notch their first win into the win column after previous successful seasons, while the Blue Jays were 2-3, wanting to get a win over their rival and move to an even record on the season.
Messiah was on the attack early at home, finding a shot on goal early within the first two minutes, which was blocked by the Etown defensive efforts. The Eagles tacked on six more shots within the first 20 minutes, causing the Blue Jays’ senior goalkeeper Pedro Miranda to make two saves early. Etown’s senior defender Dan Dein committed a foul inside the box on the attacking Messiah offense, giving the Eagles a penalty kick. Messiah senior forward Patrick Lee stepped up to take the kick and slotted it into the back of the net, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Etown and Messiah’s rivalry showed through the emotions of the game, as Etown’s sophomore midfielder Elias Homer and Messiah’s senior midfielder Davis Pagett picked up yellow cards midway through the first half. At the end of the first half, the Eagles held control of the game, comfortably keeping possession throughout the first 45 minutes and holding Etown to only one shot against their offensive bombardment of 12 shots.
Etown added some offensive pressure in the second half, with sophomore midfielder Manny Velazquez and first-year midfielder Quinn Erb adding two shots on goal, forcing Messiah’s goalkeeper to make a couple of saves. The Eagles continued adding pressure against the Blue Jay defense, trying to add a brace onto their lead and give them a cushion heading into the final 45 minutes.
Through the added pressure, Etown’s defense couldn’t hold the 1-0 lead as first-year forward Ethan Quadrini netted Messiah’s second goal of the contest after it deflected off an Etown defender from a previous blocked shot. The Eagles added a third goal after a pass by Lee sent a pass to sophomore forward Kyle Spodnick to give Messiah a 3-0 lead. Etown tried to get a goal back on the Eagles before the end of the game, but it wasn’t enough as Messiah took a 3-0 win at home in the annual rivalry matchup.
Miranda ended the game with five saves in-between the sticks for the Blue Jays. Messiah finished the game with 25 shots including five on goal, while Etown had four shots with two of them on goal. Velazquez led the Blue Jays with two shots and Erb and sophomore midfielder Owen Auchenbach both had one. Through the heat of the rivalry, both teams combined for four yellow cards and 15 fouls.
Etown moves to 2-4 on the season after the matchup against Messiah. The Blue Jays will be back at home against Lebanon Valley College on Oct. 1 for a non-conference matchup.
