Garnet Strike Gold, Win Centennial Championship!
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Garnet freshman David Sterngold chipped in the game-winning goal in the 61st minute as the Swarthmore men's soccer team won the 2008 Centennial Conference Championship, 1-0, over Johns Hopkins Sunday afternoon at Clothier Field.
Swarthmore (15-2-2) wins the championship in its first appearance in the Conference men’s soccer finale (the Centennial went to a tournament format in 2001). The team set new school-records with its 15th win of the season and an unbeaten streak of 11 matches. The Garnet automatically qualifies for the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament, the program’s first appearance in the national tournament since 1991 (fourth overall).
It is the first Centennial men’s championships since the Garnet football team captured the 1984 crown. Swarthmore now has 14 Centennial championships, the last coming in 2006 (women’s tennis).
A scoreless halftime on Sunday saw the Garnet hold a 7-4 shot advantage and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks. The best chance at a goal came in the 20th minute when Garnet defender Jeff Kushner (Norristown, Pa. / Methacton) sent a header towards the back post. Johns Hopkins midfielder Max Venker (Oldsmar, Fla. / Palm Harbor University) held his position during the play and prevented the ball from going in the net.
The Johns Hopkins offense countered numerous times but the Swarthmore defensive backline, led by senior captain Rory Stackpole (Sanford, Maine / Sanford), thwarted each attempt.
The Garnet turned the tables on the Blue Jays (12-5-3) midway through the second half. Swarthmore countered a Johns Hopkins rush with Garnet midfielder Stu Leon '09 (Wrentham, Mass. / King Phillip Regional) sending a long ball into the Blue Jays' end. Sterngold (Muncy, Pa. / Muncy) sprinted onto the ball and chipped a shot over the Johns Hopkins goalkeeper at 60:11. It is the sixth goal of the season for the first-year forward.
Swarthmore goalkeeper David D’Annunzio (Piedmont, Calif. / Piedmont) registered four saves, along with several acrobat interceptions on Blue Jay serves, to post his seventh shutout of the season.
Blue Jay netminder Matt Mierly (Weston, Fla. / St. Thomas Aquinas) posted two saves in the loss.
2008 Centennial Conference Men’s Soccer Championships
Saturday, November 8 – Semifinals
#3 Johns Hopkins 2, #2 Gettysburg 1 OT BOX SCORE
#1 Swarthmore 1, #4 Dickinson 1 2OT, Swarthmore advances 4-2 on penalty kicks BOX SCORE
Sunday, November 9 – Championship
Swarthmore 1, Johns Hopkins 0 BOX SCORE.