ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Coming off a tie over the weekend, the Elizabethtown College women's soccer team responded with a 1-0 win over Moravian at Ira R. Herr Field Wednesday evening.
Sydney Reich recorded her first career game-winning goal, the game's only goal, to help the Blue Jays prevail and remain unbeaten in Landmark Conference play.
After two early shots by Elizabethtown (6-4-2, 3-0-1 Landmark) in the first three minutes, the Greyhounds didn't allow another for the remainder of the half as they limited the Jays' opportunities in the final third.
Trinity Soto was needed for three saves, though none of the three shots that made it on target challenged the junior goalie. She also plucked a corner kick to avoid any potential danger on the set piece with less than five minutes to go before halftime. The teams went into the intermission scoreless.
Etown caught Moravian (5-3-2, 2-2-0 Landmark) on a corner and it nearly paid off.
Ava Whisten played the ball into
Erika Antunes, who ran onto the ball and sent a curling effort goal bound. Only by the fingertips of Paige Harrison did the ball stay out of the upper left corner as the senior almost gave her team a 1-0 lead early in the second half.
Taylor Yoder came close for the Greyhounds in the 56th minute. Off a Moravian corner kick, the ball came dangerously close to going in, but
Mary Deitch was there to clear it off the line.
Ten minutes later, the Blue Jays were able to dispossess the Greyhounds in their defensive third and began to build the attack going the other way. Deitch played up to
Angela Carcella, who got through two defenders around the midfield line. With her head up, she picked out a streaking
Maddie McWhinney down the right side with a perfectly weighted pass directly in the sophomore's path. McWhinney was able to beat her defender to the endline and cross back in front of the goal. Though the ball was to high to get her foot on it and too low for a header, Reich was in the perfect spot to meet the cross, and the ball went off her knee and into the goal. It was Reich's third of the season that put Elizabethtown ahead in the 67th minute.
Moravian couldn't get another shot on goal until the very last second, but an easy save for Soto was all she wrote for the game as the Jays held on 1-0. Soto registered her fourth shutout of the season.
Elizabethtown faces another tough test as Susquehanna visits Ira R. Herr Field on Saturday, October 16, at 1 p.m.
