In a game that had major playoff implications for the Elizabethtown College women’s soccer team, an own by Goucher goal in the waning minutes proved just enough for the Blue Jays to pull out the victory on Homecoming Saturday. Their opponents, the Goucher College Gophers, entered Saturday’s contest with a 1-2 record in the Landmark Conference and sat in a similar position as Etown in the playoff race.
Through the first 45 minutes of play, neither team was able to generate much offense. The Blue Jays managed just two shots in the first half against the Gophers’ defense. Each goalkeeper was forced to make one first half save as both teams entered halftime deadlocked at zero.
In the second half, the Blue Jays picked up the pace and were flying all over the field to gain possession of the ball. In the 85th minute, that pursuit paid off in a big way for Etown.
A corner kick inside of Goucher’s 18 yard box resulted in a deflection off of a Gopher defender’s head and into the back of their own net. Junior Lindsay Hoagland crossed the ball into the box, and it inadvertently hit off of Goucher’s Sara Kast and past the goalkeeper.
Etown put pressure on Goucher’s goalkeeper Lexi Rudolph during the entirety of the second half. The Blue Jays fired five shots, but could not get one past Rudolph.
First-year Lydia Lawson tied for the team lead in shots with senior Morgan Chambers. Both registered two shots for the game. Junior goalkeeper Hailey Parks finished with two saves for her fourth shutout of the season.
With the win, the Blue Jays moved into fourth place in the Landmark Conference standings for the moment. With Moravian College’s victory over Catholic University late Saturday afternoon, the Greyhounds and Blue Jays now sit in a two-way tie with six points each. However, Moravian holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Etown and is two games up in the loss column.
The Blue Jays will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 22 when they travel to Susquehanna University for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The River Hawks currently sit in second place in the Landmark Conference standings.
