Garnet Snap Streak on Senior Night
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore seniors Megan Sanborn and Abbie Fischer scored a goal each beating Bryn Mawr 11-9 on Senior Night at Clothier Field. The win snaps an eight-game losing streak for the Garnet (5-10, 1-6 CC) , extending their winning streak over the Owls (4-10 0-8 CC) to 27 straight.
Sanborn (Lewiston, N.Y. / Nichols School) added an assist, three caused turnovers, and two draw controls, while Fischer (Sudbury, Mass. / Lincoln-Sudbury) also caused three turnovers and scooped up two ground balls. Sanborn, Fischer, and classmate Susannah Blair (Princeton, N.J. / Princeton Day) (pictured left) were honored along with family and friends by assistant coach Carin Heller in a pre-game ceremony.
Both teams struggled to get into the offensive groove in a first half in which the teams combined for 42 turnovers. After five scoreless minutes, Garnet junior Marissa Schaffer (Moreland Hill, Oh. / Laurel School) scored twice in a two-minute span, first converting a free-position opportunity and then converting a pretty over-the-top pass from sophomore Alex Gilbert-Bono (Wellesley, Mass. / St. Mark’s).
The Owls came back to score three straight to go ahead by a goal. Senior Stephanie Wujcik (Mt. Laurel, N.J. / Lenape) broke up a pass deep in the Garnet end and found junior Georgia Lawrence (Middletown, R.I. / Middletown), who put the ball home with 9:22 on the clock to give the visitors their first lead.
Sanborn found sophomore Abbe Muller (West Hartford, Conn. / Conard) in front of the net with 5:48 to tie the score at three, and after an Owl goal, junior Amy Vachal (Somerset, N.J. / Rutgers Prep) retied things at four. With just under a minute left, Schaffer collected a saved Fischer shot and completed the first-half hat trick, sending the Garnet into the break with a 5-4 edge.
The teams alternated goals to start the second half before the Garnet, behind two Gilbert-Bono goals, scored three straight to take a 9-5 lead. Gilbert-Bono converted a free-position shot and put home a cross-mouth feed from freshman Emily Evans (Atlanta, Ga. / North Springs), who continued her late-season resurgence with a strong game in the midfield. Under two minutes later, Vachal found Sanborn from beside the net, and the senior scored with 17:33 on the clock.
Two Owl goals cut the margin to two before Fischer scored her third goal of the season off a free-position attempt with 9:10 left. Once again, the visitors cut the margin to two, but, with 1:57 to go, Schaffer slammed the door with her fourth goal of the game. Owl sophomore Evan Schneider (Lynchburg, Va. / E.C. Glass) concluded the scoring.
Goalkeeper Blair played one of her best games, making 11 saves and grabbing nine ground balls. The Garnet finished with 19 caused turnovers, with Sanborn, Schaffer, Fischer, and junior Melissa Grigsby (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East) garnering three each.
Swarthmore will conclude the Centennial Conference season with road games this coming Thursday and Saturday. Next up is Thursday night’s matchup with Ursinus College. Game time in Collegeville, Penn. Is 7:00 p.m.
Click here for FULL BOX.