Swarthmore Defeats Gettysburg 2-0
Ronald Reagan presided over the Oval Office for a second term, the Kansas City Royals were on their way to their only World Series win, and Marty McFly was on his way Back to the Future the last time that headline was heard. The Garnet used goals by Evan Nesterak '09 and Brandon Washington '08 to defeat the Bullets 2-0 on Saturday evening at Clothier Field, putting to bed a losing streak that spanned 20 years.
The Bullets (4-3-1, 1-1 CC) were aggressive early, out shooting Swarthmore 6-1 in the first half, yet neither team was able to score.
Nesterak, a freshman midfielder, put the Garnet on the board at the 68:56 mark. The eventual game-winning score started with a Swarthmore throw-in deep in Gettysburg territory. Midfielder Christopher Szeto '09 headed the throw from Washington into the Bullet penalty box, and Nesterak raced in from the left flank, beating Gettysburg keeper Nick Wells-Bundtzen for a lunging header into open net.
It was the third goal of the season for Nesterak, tying him with forward Stu Leon '09 for tops on the squad. The goal also marked the first time a Garnet men's soccer player had scored a goal on Gettysburg since Len Cuello '94 turned the trick twice on October 15, 1994.
The Garnet added an insurance goal when Washington '08 used his speed to run down a long pass from Andrew Terker '06. The midfielder deked Wells-Bundtzen and ran the ball into the net to tally his second score of the season at 83:56.
Senior Reuben Heyman-Kantor made five saves in goal as the Garnet improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the Centennial. Heyman-Kantor recorded his third consecutive shut-out (fourth overall), and in the process, extended his scoreless streak to over 361 minutes.
Wells-Bundtzen made three saves in goal for the Bullets.
The previous Swarthmore men's soccer victory over Gettysburg occurred in early November of 1985, when the Garnet defeated the Bullets 3-1 in the MAC semi-final match.
The 2-0 start in Centennial play hasn't been done by Swarthmore since 1994 when they downed McDaniel (then Western Maryland) and Washington.
Swarthmore will make a quick turnaround for their next game and travel north to Madison, NJ on Monday, September 26 to face Farleigh-Dickinson University College at Florham in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference match. The Garnet will return to Clothier Field on Wednesday, September 28 to resume their Centennial slate, hosting Washington College in a 7:00 p.m. contest.