SCRANTON, Pa.—Elizabethtown College held off a late second-half rally by The University of Scranton to post a 22-15 victory in Middle Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon at Fitzpatrick Field.

The league-leading Blue Jays built up a 13-6 lead at intermission and extended their lead to 18-7 before senior midfielder Jackie Messantonio (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and sophomore midfielder Diana Rocklein (Islip Terrace, N.Y./East Islip) combined for six goals during a nine-minute span late in the second-half as the Royals cut the margin to 19-15 with less than six minutes remaining. Elizabethtown maintained its composure and tallied the final three goals of the game to improve to 9-2 overall and remain undefeated in league play with a 7-0 mark.

Messantonio finished with six goals and an assist and Rocklein contributed five goals and three assists for Scranton, which had a two-game winning streak snapped to fall to 3-7 overall and 3-4 in the MAC. Sophomore attacker Katie Foley (Palymyra, N.J./Holy Cross) led Elizabethtown with a game-high seven goals, including four in the first-half, and three assists and freshman midfielder Katie Caprinolo (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) added four goals. The Blue Jays also received three goals from freshman attacker Megan Byrnes (Lutherville, Md./Towson) and two goals and a game-high six assists from sophomore attacker Kelsea Kozak (Brookhaven, Pa./Sun Valley).

After falling behind 2-0 in the first six minutes of play, the Royals found their momentum behind goals by freshman midfielder Heather Melone (Wall, N.J./Wall Township), Messantonio and Rocklein and trailed by one, 4-3, midway through the first-half. The Blue Jays then scored seven straight goals, including two each by Foley and Caprinolo, over a six-minute span to extend their lead to 11-3. Messantonio scored two goals and junior attacker Kaitlyn Mimnaugh (New City, N.Y./Albertus) Magnus) ended the Royal draught over the next minute as Scranton closed to within five, 11-6. Caprinolo and freshman midfielder Carly Goetting (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Borough), who finished with two goals, closed out the scoring in the first-half as Elizabethtown settled for a 7-goal lead by intermission.

Foley scored two goals during a 5-1 spurt in the opening 14 minutes of the second-half as the Blue Jays appeared to be in total command in building up an 18-7 lead. Messantonio then scored back-to-back goals off assists by Rocklein to jump-start the Royals' final drive to pull out the comeback victory.

After Messantonio brought Scranton to within four, 19-15, with 5:45 left, Caprinolo scored an unassisted goal with 5:04 remaining and Byrnes and Foley closed out the scoring with goals in the final three minutes of play.

Sophomore goalie Jenn Hawkins (Havre de Grace, Md./Havre de Grace) made a game-high 11 saves for the Blue Jays while Scranton's Kristina Goetz (New Hyde Park, N.Y./New Hyde Park Memorial) was credited with five. Messantonio's six goals today gives her 190 for her career.

The Royals will take on King's College in Middle Atlantic Conference action this Tuesday, April 17, at Betzler Field in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

2007-04-14