Rodrigo Barrera vs Penn St. Harrisburg 090115
Wyatt Eaton
1
Penn St. Harrisburg PSH (0-1)
2
Winner Elizabethtown ETWN-M (1-0)
Penn St. Harrisburg PSH
(0-1)
1
Final
2
Elizabethtown ETWN-M
(1-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Penn St. Harrisburg PSH 0 1 1
Elizabethtown ETWN-M 2 0 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Blue Jays hold on to beat Penn St. Harrisburg 2-1 in opener

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Elizabethtown used a rapid offensive push in the first 19 minutes to score twice and then protected a one-goal lead late to subdue Penn State Harrisburg, 2-1, in the 2015 opener Tuesday evening at Ira R. Herr Field.

The season wasn't but three minutes old before Jeff Light took advantage of a miscue from Lions' keeper Brandon Hoover.

Hoover left his net to play a ball outside the 18-yard box, but passed the ball right to Light. Light, who scored all three of his goals last season in a win over Juniata, calmly settled, took a few dribbles right and slashed a ball into the lower left corner for a 1-0 lead at the 2:47 mark.

Pretty passing put the Jays ahead by two in the 19th minute. Senior forward Cal Graziano's cross from the right side found flashy newcomer Gilbert Waso in the middle of the field. Waso put a deft touch on the ball and set it beautifully for Shane Votto. Votto hammered it past Hoover for his first of the season.

Elizabethtown (1-0), which earned win No. 486 for 33rd year head coach Skip Roderick, got a battle from the Lions (0-1), who are coached by former Blue Jay assistant Seamus Donnelly.

Penn State Harrisburg outshot the Jays 8-7 in the first half and took a 5-1 advantage in corners, but E-town responded with a 9-3 edge in shots in the second.

Even with the 3:1 shot discrepancy in the final 45 minutes, the hosts were forced to withstand some tense moments after Jonathan Vanaskie brought the Lions back within one, heading in Aaron Kline's corner in the 74th minute. Blue Jay keeper Rodrigo Barrera, who finished with six saves, made two critical ones in the 78th and 87th minutes to keep his team out in front.

Hoover also had to make a pair down the stretch, but his biggest save came in the 52nd minute on a Jack Rudy penalty kick. Hoover sprung to his left to punch the ball out to the side. Twenty minutes later, the backstop got some help from his defense when Waso found himself with a gaping net. One of the Lion defenders closed the gap just in time to block Waso's shot and deflect it off the rookie for a PSH goal kick.

Waso finished with four shots and an assist in his E-town debut, while Graziano unloaded a trio of shots. Victor Weaver and Kline led the visitors with three shots apiece.

Elizabethtown continues its three-game homestand to start the season Saturday when it takes on Dickinson at 2 p.m.
 
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