Saturday, Oct. 14, the Elizabethtown College Blue Jays held the Goucher College Gophers to only two shots throughout the whole match and remained powerful for 90 minutes.

Etown won the game 3-0, keeping their fouls down to half of what Goucher gave up.

The Blue Jays stayed composed with the ball and kept the shots on target. Etown had four shots and two corners before senior Alex Jacobs had a high shot that went over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net, giving Etown the lead in the 29th minute. First-year Alli Lasky assisted this goal.

“We were able to find each other in the final third of the field,” junior Shannon Conlon said. This is exactly what the team needed to improve upon coming out of their last couple of games.

Getting the ball into the offensive third is half of the battle in big games and keeping the pressure there helped the Blue Jays in this match specifically.

Coming out strong in the first half was still something Etown struggled with in earlier games and must improve upon moving forward in order to qualify for playoffs.

Six minutes from the first goal, Etown earned a penalty kick. First-year Janelle Barna shot the ball at the right side of the goal, scoring her fourth goal of the season and putting Etown ahead by two points right before the half.

Fifty-three minutes into the match, sophomore Lydia Lawson blasted a shot to the right side of the net, earning her 11th goal of the season. Lawson currently leads the Landmark Conference in highest number of goals scored.

“We focused on ways to create space and really utilize the width [of the opponent’s field] to our advantage,” team manager Keri Edwards said.

This is something the team discussed in the past and was one of the many ways the Blue Jays created positive movement and connections throughout the game.

The team worked together well and was able to connect passes throughout the game, earning 16 shots to Goucher’s two and earning four more corners than the Gophers. A strong first half was a big improvement compared to past games and gave the Blue Jays the major confidence boost they needed to lock in the win.

The team’s next game will be at home against Susquehanna University Saturday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m.

The men’s team also played Goucher on the road later Oct. 14.

Junior Gilbert Waso, playing for the first time since the end of September, was key in helping the Jays get the win. Waso had four shots and scored the only goal of the game 24 minutes in, giving the Jays a 1-0 win over the Gophers.

First-year Reed Browning and senior Scott Hess each had three shots and first-year Eli Perry had one.

Goucher’s junior goalie Daniel Hendry kept the Gophers in the game, making a total of five saves.

Etown’s defense held the Gophers to only four shots, all of which were taken in the first half. Junior goalkeeper Brian Gately made one save three minutes into the game, marking his third shutout of the season.

This win against Goucher was the team’s third in a row. The Jays are tied for third in the Conference with Susquehanna University. The teams will meet this Saturday, Oct. 21 on Herr Field at 4:30 p.m. during Etown’s Homecoming Weekend.