First Encounter with Blue Jays Ends in 3-3 Draw

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — With a 3-1 lead and less than two minutes remaining, Goucher appeared headed toward a crucial victory over Elizabethtown tonight. The three points the Gophers would earn for the win in their inaugural encounter with the Blue Jays would bolster their chances of making the upcoming Landmark Conference playoffs.

Things still looked promising even after Shane Votto headed in a cross from Andrew Sandridge at 88:50, slicing Goucher's advantage to 3-2.

Unfortunately, the Blue Jays weren't done scoring. They were awarded a corner kick with :09 showing on the clock and, three seconds later, a header by Martin Fevre created a 3-3 deadlock, sending the contest into overtime.

Neither the Gophers nor the Blue Jays managed to score in either of the two 10-minute overtime periods which ensued. Both teams picked up a single point in the standings for playing to a 3-3 draw.

"The guys were great tonight," according to head coach Bryan Laut. "They poured everything they had into this game. While we wish we had managed the game better at the end to get the full three points, coming home with a result against a strong Elizabethtown team is nothing to be upset about."

Goucher fell behind 1-0 just 1:32 into the contest when Kristopher Davis headed in Lyle Fowler's corner kick.

The score didn't change until the 54th minute when Nate Margolis (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock North) successfully converted a penalty kick for the Gophers (6-6-1, 2-3-1 Landmark).

The 1-1 tie lasted for just over 15 minutes, because at 69:05, Brandon Weiner (Derwood, Md./Col. Zadok A. Magruder) put Goucher ahead for the first time by tallying his second goal of the season. Lashaw Salta (Allen, Texas/Plano East) played a free kick in the box where Weiner managed to head it in the direction of the goal. The opposing keeper got his hands to the ball, but the deflection rolled in before a defender was able to clear it off the line.

Jeremy Hardy (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Beacon School) padded Goucher's lead with an unassisted goal at 84:04.

The Blue Jays (7-4-2, 3-2-1 Landmark) outshot the Gophers, 3-1, in the first OT and, 2-0, in the second. Including the three saves he made after regulation concluded, Nicholas Stolarz (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) ended up with a grand total of 10 saves.

For the game, Elizabethtown enjoyed a 23-16 advantage in shots.

In order to remain in the hunt for a playoff berth, Goucher will have to win both of its remaining Landmark Conference matches, including one this Saturday at 1 p.m. in Huntingdon, Pa. against Juniata.