Box Score YORK, PA – The Elizabethtown College Blue Jays blanked the York College Spartans 2-0 in non-conference action at Graham Field in York on Wednesday.
The loss snaps York's two game win streak as they fall to 3-5 overall while the Blue Jays improve to 5-4-1 with the win.
The Blue Jays had most of the momentum early and that momentum paid off in the game's 20th minute as Alex Jacobs collected a loose ball at the top of the Spartan box. She took a few dribbles and slotted a pass to Kaceyanne Cerankowski along the left wing. Cerankowski blasted a shot inside the far right post for the game's opening salvo. The goal was Cerankowski's team-leading fifth goal of the campaign.
York's only good first half chance came with 15:22 left in the opening stanza as Jamie Sokolis (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) collected a Blue Jay turnover at the top of the box, turned and fired a shot towards the Elizabethtown goal. Blue Jay goalie Dana Robidoux made a sprawling save to her right to thwart York's scoring opportunity.
The Blue Jays carried the first half statistics as they outshot York 5-1. The Blue Jays were outmuscling the Spartans and playing very physical as Elizabethtown was whistled for six first half fouls.
The Blue Jays wasted little time in pushing the lead to 2-0 early in the second half. Cerankowski drove the ball into the box on the left end line. Her cross hit off a Spartan defender and clanged off the left goal post. The ball caromed back into the box where Maddie Burkhardt corralled the rebound and poked it home for her first goal of the year. The goal came just under six minutes into the second half and put the Spartans in a difficult position with most of the second half remaining.
The Green and White had a fantastic opportunity to get on the board with just over 25 minutes remaining in regulation. Sophomore Maxine Herman (Dover, Pa./Dover) beat her defender with a brilliant move on the end line. Herman struck a beautiful cross to the head of Corie Elliott (Laurel, Md./Delmar) on the far left side of the box. Elliott hit a header that clanked off the cross bar, rebounded back into the box and then was cleared by the Blue Jays.
The Spartans had another chance seven minutes later as the Spartans pushed up after another Blue Jay foul. Senior defender Chelsea McDowell (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) served the ball into the box finding a charging Elliott in front of the goal. Elliott tried to chest the ball in after it took a funny hop off the turf. Unfortunately for York, the ball caromed right to Robidoux who collected the shot for the save.
The Blue Jays ended the game holding an 11-10 advantage in total shots as York outshot them 9-6 in the second half. However, that is a misleading statistic as only three of York's 10 shots came on target. The Spartans had the game's lone corner kick while Elizabethtown committed nine fouls in the match.
Robidoux earned the clean sheet as she made three saves in the win. Senior Kate Lutte (Catasauqua, Pa./Catasauqua) suffered the loss as she allowed two goals and made three saves in her 90 minutes of work.
Today's game was York's final non-conference game of the year as the Spartans' eight remaining games will be all be Capital Athletic Conference matches. York will host Frostburg State University on Saturday afternoon. Kick off is set for 12:30 pm.
Ashley Becker photo courtesy of Taylor Gamber
