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Lady Booters Fall Short Against Cedar Crest

BY ERIC PYLES

The girls’ soccer team rolled through the majority of the 2022 regular season, building a flashy 13-2 record with their only losses coming to Section Two champ, Ephrata. Or at least that was the case until October 13th when Cedar Crest came for a visit and left with a 3-1 victory, dropping E-town to 13-3.

Andrea Rodriguez picked up the lone Lady Bear score, knotting the game at 1-1 in the 61st minute. That ended up a blip in the game as two late Lady Falcon goals gave the visitors a 3-1 win. Keegan Miller finished with two saves while Marissa Polites added six more.

That loss may have altered Elizabethtown’s District 3-4A seed but it did not stop the Lady Bears from making the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship tournament. That sent E-town to Myerstown on October 15th for a showdown with ELCO, the winner out of Section Three. The trip did not go as planned, with ELCO sending E-town home after a 5-0 loss. Miller went solo in goal and finished with five saves.

BOYS’ SOCCER

The Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship tournament proved to be unforgiving for Elizabethtown soccer. The Lady Bears dropped their quarterfinal tilt two days after the boy’s side met the same fate, a quarterfinal loss, snapping their 13-game winning streak.

“It was a setback for us having won 13 games in a row,” said head coach James Sostack of the quarterfinal loss. “The lesson is maintain your hunger and desire right from the first whistle.”

Cocalico front loaded their game plan leading to two quick strikes and a 2-0 cushion. That would stand until the 70th minute when Juan Lopez found the net to cut the deficit in half. Elizabethtown was unable to strike again, derailing the Bears L-L title hopes. Tyler Bell finished with six saves.

“While Etown lost the opportunity to win a league title they can learn the lessons of this defeat and recommit to a run in districts,” said Sostack who remained positive after the loss.

FIELD HOCKEY

The field hockey team wrapped up their regular season on October 12th, playing Ephrata to a 0-0 draw, leaving the Lady Bears 11-6-1. Sydney Pope turned away eight shots while keeping the Lady Mountaineers off the board.

That 11-6-1 overall record includes a 6-3-1 run through Section Two, good enough for second place and a spot in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship opposite Garden Spot. Pope finished with nine saves but the Lady Spartans were able to score twice, leading to a 2-1 setback for Elizabethtown. Piper Patrick picked up the lone goal in the fourth quarter, busting up the Spot shutout bid.

VOLLEYBALL

The girls’ volleyball team wrapped up their regular season as well, topping Lebanon 3-0 on the 13th. E-town posted wins of 25-11, 25-21 and 25-13.

CROSS COUNTRY

If the calendar reads late October then it is time for the cross-country team to travel to Ephrata for the 2022 League Championship which took place on October 18th this year. Both sides posted a fifth-place finish in their respective team standings but the boy’s side was able to squeeze all five of their scoring runners in the top 50.

Jaycen Conrad led that effort with his 26th place time of 17:30.0. Jack Myers finished three seconds later and in 30th place while Jackson Key posted a 17:33.1 to take 31st. Nicholas Mascia was up next, finishing 36th with a time of 17:47.4. The final Bear scorer was Bradley Kreider who claimed 50th place with a time of 18:06.7.

On the girls’ side, Jordan DiRisio led the way, missing the top 10 by approximately two seconds, her 20:18.6 slotting her 13th. Ali Fink crossed the finish line at 20:39.3, good enough for 24th place. Lilah Drager claimed 35th with a time of 21:15.1 while Rowan Hess came in 44th with a time of 21:35.1. Jillian Wivell rounded out the scoring five with a 64th place run of 22:13.8.

FOOTBALL

The football team rebounded nicely from the first loss of the 2022 season, throttling Fleetwood, 42-16. The Bears finished with 434 yards but only 90 came via the ground with Josh Rudy lighting up the Fleetwood defense for 365 yards and six touchdown passes in the air. Five different Bears were on the receiving end of those Rudy strikes with Braden Cummings doubling up despite just three catches. He covered 122 yards over those three catches. Brady Breault snagged 10 passes for 70 yards and a score while Ian Brosey hit paydirt on his only catch, covering 35 yards. Owen Dommel accounted for Elizabethtown’s final score and 63 yards on his two catches. Logan Lentz missed joining the 1000-yard club after finishing with 54 yards, but he did add three catches for 48 yards and Rudy’s final TD toss.

Photo by Cheri Sine

The Bears’ Josie Spayd battles Cedar Crest’s Alaina Miller for the ball in E-town’s 3-1, nonleague loss to the visiting Falcons on October 13.

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Photo by Cheri Sine

E-town’s Lily Heistand fends off Cedar Crest’s Susie Hoffman as she takes control of the ball in the Bears’ 3-1, nonleague loss at home on October 13.

Photo by Cheri Sine

Adyson Haak wins a head ball in front of Cedar Crest’s Alaina Miller during the Bears’ 3-1, nonleague loss in E-town on October 13.