2005 Season Recap
The start of the 2005 women's soccer season at Swarthmore College was also the start of a new chapter in the program's history: with Amy Brunner resigning after seven years as head coach after the 2004 season, 2005 was the first year behind the helm for Todd Anckaitis, who came to Swarthmore from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
Along with a new head coach, the Garnet also welcomed many new faces to pre-seaon training camp, as the team started the year with 7 first-year players to accompany the 10 returners. Swarthmore would also have to play without two impact players from the 2004 season, juniors Kasie Groom and Jane Sachs, who were studying abroad. With a new coach and a young team, the Garnet entered the season with high expectations, hoping to silence critics who called the season a rebuilding year, and the team proved they could compete right from the start.
The young Garnet squad got off to a solid start, with a record of 2-1-1 in their first four games. After battling to a 0-0 tie with Neumann in the season opener, the Garnet won the first game of the Swat Kick Classic vs. Earlham (Indiana) in dramatic fashion - with just 34 seconds remaining in double overtime, sophomore forward Danielle Tocchet found the back of the net, giving Swarthmore a 1-0 win. The milestone win signified not only Coach Anckaitis's first win at Swarthmore, but it was also the tenth consecutive year the team had won their home opener. The Garnet then dropped a 1-0 loss to Widener the next day, but three players were named to the All-Tournament team: Tocchet, freshman defender Caitlin Mullarkey, and freshman goalkeeper Lauren Walker. Two days after their first loss, the team bounced back to trounce Rutgers-Newark 4-0. Over the course of the next 11 games the Garnet continued to play some exciting soccer including 4 overtime matches, two double-overtime ties and five other games that were decided by one goal.
The Garnet dropped both games of the Pioneer Classic at Widener, giving up three goals in a five minute stretch to York College and going down 2-0 to Rutgers-Camden in Swarthmore's 6 th game in eleven days. Swarthmore then traveled to Delaware Valley College where they gave up two great goals to the eventual Freedom Conference player of the year and dropped a 2-0 decision. Starting Centennial Conference play on September 17, the team lost a heartbreaker to Franklin and Marshall 1-0 in overtime. In 2004 the roles had been reversed, as the Garnet had defeated the Diplomats 1-0 in overtime.
The team's next game was against Gettysburg, whom the Garnet had lost to 6-0 in 2004. Gettysburg was the defending Centennial Conference champion and preseason favorite, but the Garnet showed no signs of intimidation, battling the Bullets to a 1-1 double-overtime tie. Tocchet scored her second goal of the season off a Natalie Negrey '07 cross, and defenders Mullarkey and Alexa Bensimhon '09 along with Walker, who had 14 saves in net, put forth a stellar defensive effort keeping the eventual Centennial Conference Player of the Year off the board.
Following the big game against Gettysburg, the Garnet dropped a tough away match to Muhlenberg 1-0, tied Washington 1-1 in double overtime, and lost another closely contested away game to Ursinus 1-0. The team put up an impressive fight against eventual Centennial Conference Champion Johns Hopkins who held a #14 National Ranking at the time, losing 2-1 after being tied 1-1 for most of the game.
The Garnet suffered tough road losses to McDaniel (2-1 in double overtime) and Dickinson before returning home to square off against Bryn Mawr on October 27. In the game Danielle Tocchet scored her seventh and eighth goals of the year and Natalie Negrey also banged home a goal to give Swarthmore a 3-0 victory on senior night. The following Saturday the team concluded the 2005 season with a 2-0 loss at rival Haverford in yet another competitive game. Despite steady improvement over the course of the season and close games all year the team finished with an overall record of 3-11-3.