ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- A number of firsts for the Elizabethtown College men's soccer team in Saturday's rain-soaked 3-0 win over Wilkes in the Landmark Conference opener.
Niko Houck recorded his first career goal while
Carlos Salazar and
Logan Sumner each recorded their first career assists.
Will Withall scored his second goal in as many games for the Blue Jays that gave them an early 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. Withall scored the game's only game in Wednesday's win at Hood.
Though they didn't threaten the Etown goal much in the first half, Wilkes began to settle in over the second part of the first half as the game went 1-0 into halftime.
While the Colonels hung around, it was the final 10 minutes to play that finished off the game in the Jays' favor.
First, it was the combination of Houck and Salazar at the top right of the 18 yard box. Houck and Salazar played a little give and go that got Houck into the box and one-on-one with goalie Matthew Conti. The sophomore right back was able to beat the keeper low right for his first career goal to all but ice the contest for Elizabethtown.
After Houck's 83rd minute goal, it was
Caba Alvarez's turn to wrap it up in the 87th minute. The ball had gone to Sumner, who punted a ball deep into Wilkes' end. The ball skimmed twice off the wet turf and into the Colonels' box. Alvarez was alert to the trajectory of the ball and beat his defender to lift the ball past Conti for his team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Elizabethtown more than doubled Wilkes' total in shots, 16-6, with half of their shot attempts on goal (8). Sumner only needed one save, in the second half, to earn another clean sheet.
The Blue Jays play at Lebanon Valley on Tuesday, September 29, at 4 p.m.
Â
