Luongo Scores Two Second-Half Goals as No. 23 Swarthmore Beats Eastern 2-1
ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - Senior Julia Luongo scored two second-half goals as the No. 23 Swarthmore women's soccer team rallied to beat Eastern 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon. With the win, the Garnet (4-0) became the first team to defeat the Eagles at home since 2007.
Luongo leads the Garnet with four goals on the season.
The victory - the Garnet's first since entering the NSCAA National Rankings - is the second time this season that Swarthmore has rallied for a win with two second half goals.
The homestanding Eagles controlled the tempo for much of the first half, peppering the Garnet defense with 10 shots compared to just one for Swarthmore. Eastern's Jillian DiRenzo scored from inside the box in the 14th minute to give the Eagles the early 1-0 lead.
But after weathering the Eagles' first-half attack, the Garnet regained composure and took control of the game in the second half. Luongo headed home her first goal of the evening in the 60th minute off a perfectly-placed corner kick from junior Kelsey Cline, knotting the game at 1-1. Just three minutes later, Luongo was at it again, firing a missile from the top of the box into the upper-left corner of the net to give the Garnet a 2-1 lead that it would never relinquish.
In goal for the Garnet, sophomore Maria Mutryn stopped five shots to preserve the win.
The Garnet will look to make it five straight to open the season when it hosts Elizabethtown on Saturday, September 12, from Clothier Field Stadium. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.