oming off two victories which they dominated their opponents by a combined scored 46-7, highlighted by an offensive showcase by putting in 26 goals past new conference member Hood College, the Elizabethtown College Blue Jay women’s lacrosse team started off with a game against the Widener Pride. The game started off well for the Blue Jays with an unassisted goal from sophomore Leigh Flounlacker early in the first half. Widener scored the next three goals to go up 3-1.
The Blue Jays fired right back with four goals of their own led by Flounlacker’s 24th and 25th goals of the season along with fellow sophomores Caitlin Knight and Andrea Russo contributing with unassisted goals making it 5-3 in favor of the Blue Jays.
Widener came right back with two goals from Melissa Sailey and Lauren Staedt to bring the score level at five goals each.
Senior captain Emily Butler scored her 13th goal of the year to break the tie and Flounlacker scored her four goal of the game to put the Jays up two goals, but Sailey and Mackenzie Lindquist tied the game up at seven goals.
Flounlacker, junior Katie Reeb and senior Becky Porter scored towards the end of the first half to make it 10-8 Blue Jays.
In the second half, the Blue Jays took control as the Blue Jays poured on eight more goals in the second half led by three more from Porter, two from junior Michelle Grosso, and another by Flounlacker as the Blue Jays came out on top 18-11.
Butler knew this game would be a challenging one for the Blue Jays. “Overall, I feel we had a good game. Widener was fast and aggressive which made it a competitive game for us. This was also the first warm weather game of the season, which played a factor with our players, but we came out on top, which is most important,” Butler said.
The team’s next opponent was Susquehanna University, who was coming into the game undefeated as the number 12 ranked team in the country.
The team started off well for the Blue Jays as Knight scored first however, Susquehanna went on a scoring spree with six unanswered goals to put the Crusaders up 6-1. Reeb, Porter, and Flounlacker scored for the Blue Jays in an attempt to cut the deficit but each time they scored, the Crusaders had a response which kept their lead at five headed to halftime.
In the second half the Blue Jays continued to pour in the goals as the Crusaders scored the first four goals, going on to win 17-10.
Butler and her teammates took an important lesson from the game. “We should never underestimate an opponent, no matter who they played,” Butler said.
With important conference games against Stevenson University and rival Messiah College as the next games on the schedule, preparation is essential for the Blue Jays to come out on top.
“We need to come out with intensity. Too many times this season we have had to come back from behind to win games and if our team is focused from the beginning of the game, we are capable of great things,” Butler said.
With the game against Messiah College coming up, the Blue Jay players know that a win over the Falcons would be a huge statement heading towards fighting for a playoff spot.
Senior Casey Fletcher is passionate about the rivalry. “When playing the Falcons, we always give our best game because we want to come out on top,” Fletcher said.
Butler feels the fact that the team is playing on Wolf Field for the first time during their four years will increase motivation and drive to win the game. “During our first year and junior year, we played at Messiah and during our sophomore year, we played on the grass field. Playing on our turf means something to our team,” Butler said.
Senior captain Samantha Earle has strong feelings playing against the Falcons. “Being a senior, this is our biggest game, and as a senior, being able to get a victory over Messiah means everything,” Earle said.
On Wednesday, April 10, the women headed to Owings Mills, Md. to face the Stevenson University Mustangs. The Mustangs came out strong in the first half, scoring seven goals while the Blue Jays scored 4. Stevenson remained on top the entire game, which ended in a 21-12 loss for the Jays. Several players contributed to the goal count, but it wasn’t enough to make a comeback against the Mustangs.
