WILKES-BARRE - The Wilkes University men's soccer team played against Elizabethtown College in their Landmark Conference opener Saturday afternoon, drawing with the Blue Jays 1-1 at Bruggeworth Field.

The draw puts the Colonels at 1-5-3 on the season and the Blue Jays at 3-5-1.

In a game where scoring would be hard to come by, it was Elizabethtown who struck first. Passes from Caba Alverez and Owen Auchenbach set up Quin Erb with a clean shot right in front of the net, and the first-year capitalized with his first collegiate goal to make it 1-0 Blue Jays at 18:47.

That score held until the 30th minute when a bit of good fortune helped the Colonels. Diego Almieda (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) kicked a long pass from midfield intended for Elijah Emedoh-Kaba (Gilbertsville, PA/Boyertown Area) in the penalty box. However, the ball bounced off the head of an Elizabethtown defender and went in the net for an own goal, tying the game at 1-1.

That score held at halftime, and in the second half the Blue Jays controlled the pace of the game. The Blue Jays outshot the Colonels 8-3 in the second half, but goalkeeper Matthew Conti (Florence, NJ/Florence Township Memorial High School) made three big saves to keep the game tied. The most important coming in the 81st minute to deny Auchenbach from scoring.

On offense the Colonels never got a shot on goal in the second half, and the game ended in a draw. For the game, Elizabethtown outshot Wilkes 15-8 overall, and 6-1 in shots on goal. Both teams earned plenty of corner kicks as the Blue Jays had 11 and the Colonels had eight, but no goals came from them.

Individually, Almieda was the only Colonel to take multiple shots all game with two, and Conti had one of his best games in net as he made five saves. For the Blue Jays, Erb finished with their lone goal and both Auchenbach and Alverez had an assist.

Next up the Colonels play the Misericordia University Cougars on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at Bruggeworth Field to wrap up their three-game homestand. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.