The Elizabethtown women’s soccer team was searching for their fourth win in a row last Wednesday, Sept. 18 against Moravian College. Both the Blue Jays and the Greyhounds came into the game with a 3-3 record, each looking to raise their record above .500 for the first time all season. Through the first 50 minutes of the game, the two teams looked as evenly matched as their identical records stated. However, in the blink of an eye, Etown turned into the team that has outscored its opponents 12-1 over its last three games.

Sophomore Kaceyanne Cerankowski broke away from her defender in the fifty-first minute and found the back of the net for her first goal of the season, giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. After Cerankowski’s goal, the offensive output over the next ten minutes seemed contagious. Two minutes later, senior Alyssa Koplin scored her second goal of the season off an assist from sophomore Lauren Berry.

Over the next eight minutes, Berry decided to get in on the scoring herself, tallying twice to extend the Jays’ lead to 4-0. For 80 minutes of Wednesday’s game, neither team could score.

Those other ten minutes proved to be the difference in Etown’s decisive 4-0 victory over the Greyhounds. Berry has scored eight goals in seven games this year for a 1.14 goals per game mark. Cerankowski also assisted on one of Berry’s goals to go along with a goal of her own. First-year Morgan Chambers tallied her first assist of her career on  Berry’s other goal. Sophomore goalie Dana Robidoux played all 90 minutes for the third game in a row, recording her second shutout in the last three games. Robidoux has allowed just one goal in her last 315 minutes in the net for the Blue Jays over their four-game win streak.

“In the past few games, I have tried to be more relaxed and confident in the goal,” Robidoux said. “The team as a whole has also been playing better in the past few games, which automatically makes a keeper look better, so it’s not just my play, but the team’s play that has improved and become more effective.”

With Robidoux’ solid play in goal the last four games for the Blue Jays, it looks like she will be the starter when conference play rolls around next week.

“As far as being the permanent starter for the season, no one’s starting position is ever permanent,” Robidoux said. “Being a part of the past three wins has helped my confidence, but I know that I need to keep working hard at every practice to keep my starting spot and to stay sharp for the team.”

Robidoux got the starting position again when Etown hosted Haverford College on Saturday, Sept. 21 and was brilliant for another 90 minutes. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, their first overtime game of the season did not go the way they had hoped it would. A goal in the fourth minute of sudden-death overtime by Haverford’s Phoebe Miller broke the 0-0 tie and gave the visiting Black Squirrels their first victory of the season.

Haverford’s experience in overtime seemed to be the difference in the game. The Black Squirrels have played four overtime games so far this season, compiling a 1-0-3 record in those contests. The loss broke Etown’s four-game winning streak and dropped their record to 4-4 for the season.

Robidoux did all she could to keep the game scoreless, collecting six saves on the afternoon. Junior Kendra Mancino also came up big on defense for the Jays, stopping virtually every scoring chance for Haverford through regulation. Etown’s offense was only able to register three shots on goal all game. All three were good scoring opportunities that were turned away by Haverford goalie Robin Chernow.

The Blue Jays finished their non-conference schedule with a win while hosting No. 7 Misericordia University yesterday, Sept.  25. The final score of 1-0.

“We are still just as disciplined at practice, because we know we have to keep working hard and pushing each other in order to get better and be ready for the competition in conference play,” Robidoux said.

Etown will open up their Middle Atlantic Conference schedule when they host Albright College on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Ira R. Herr Field starting at 4:30 p.m.