Saturday, Sept. 16, Elizabethtown College faced off against Lebanon Valley College on the soccer field at LVC, winning with a shutout victory and a final score of 3-0. With this victory, the Etown ladies are now 3-1-1 for the season.
Four minutes into the game, sophomore forward Lydia Lawson followed a throw in made by sophomore Kristin Wilkinson and scored on the left side.
The second goal was scored 17:00 minutes into the first half by first-year Janelle Barna with an assist from sophomore Madison Burnham.
Lebanon put up a strong offensive front for most of the game, but Etown’s defense kept the game squarely on Lebanon’s side of the field. The defense limited Lebanon to only three shots on goal and 10 shots throughout the game. Etown goal keeper, senior Hailey Parks, only needed to block one shot by Lebanon Valley’s Kira Pushart 39 minutes into the game.
The second half came with Etown’s third and final goal to secure the shutout game. Lawson returned to score the goal with an assist by junior Shannon Conlon.
Two more shots were made by Lebanon but both were blocked by first-year goalie Christine Fox. The game ended with a decisive 3-0 victory for Etown.
Key players in this game included Lawson and Barna and the collective efforts of the defense. Lawson dominated the offense, earning two of the team’s three goals and has been a strong player since her first-year season. She turned heads last year as on one of two players to start and play all 16 games in a season. In one of the first games of the same season, she scored a hat-trick and four goals total for the game.
For Barna, Saturday’s game was not her first taste of the spotlight. Tuesday, Sept. 12, Barna was the difference between a stunning defeat and an impossible victory when she scored Etown’s winning goal in the fourth overtime of the game.
Sophomore Madison Burnham and also contributed to Etown’s aggressive offense. Burnham ended the game with three shots, two shots on goal and one assist.
Success in this game was also attributed to the defense. More than just keeping Lebanon out of the goalie box, the defense worked in sync with the offense to shuttle the ball from midfield to goal. The cohesiveness of the forward and defense was key in the women’s victory in Saturday’s game.
Overall, the season is off to a good start. This was one of three games in which Etown did not give up a goal and the ladies have so far only given up a single game.
The Blue Jays were back on the road Wednesday night against Messiah (#12). Etown held off the Falcons throughout the first half of the game, but Messiah took control early in the second half.
Senior Lindsay Hoagland had one shot in the 44th minute which ended up being the Jays’ only shot of the night. The Falcons had 18 shots by the end of the night.
Less than five minutes in, Julia Kyne of Messiah scored the first goal of the game on Parks. Brooke Firestone, Megan Mansfield and Sarah Strachan also each scored a goal for the Falcons.
Messiah had 14 shots on goal and Etown had zero. Parks, however, was a standout player and a big contributor to the first half shut out, earning a career-high 10 saves, six of which she made in the first half.
The women will begin Landmark Conference play Saturday, Sept. 23, at 1 p.m. on the road against Drew University.
