Dips Escape With Late 1-0 Win
SWARTHMORE. Pa. -- Franklin & Marshall forward Brandon Corday lofted a 35-yard shot over the head of Swarthmore goaltender Zach Weimar '10 and into the net with 00:36 to play to give the visiting Diplomats a 1-0 win on a cool Saturday evening at Clothier Stadium.
Corday won the ball with a little bit of space around him with around 40 seconds left, took a dribble, and, still on the run, hit a left-footed shot just under the crossbar.
Swarthmore came close to scoring several times earlier in the match, even hitting the post once. Sophomore forward Evan Nesterak caused a 'clang' in the first half while trying to score a quick-strike goal with a defender right with him. F&M controlled much of the first half, though, taking five shots to Swarthmore's three while forcing Weimar to make three saves.
Play became more physical in the second half and hostilities nearly erupted between the two teams on multiple occasions. Diplomat goalkeeper Ed Stelz earned a yellow card in the 58th minute after colliding with Swarthmore midfielder Yoi Tibbetts '09, and Garnet sophomores Jeff Kushner and Ladule Lako Lo Sarah were later given cautions as well.
Swarthmore had nearly all of the chances in the half as Stelz had to make six saves to Weimar's zero. The Garnet's best opportunity came in the 73rd minute. Andres Freire '10 started things off with a corner kick to Kushner, who headed the ball towards the right post. A Diplomat defender trapped the ball and tried to clear it away, but it went right to Nesterak, who got a shot off but saw Stelz make the save.
The Diplomats (7-1-1, 3-0-1 CC) finished with a 12-11 shot advantage.
Swarthmore (6-3, 2-2 CC) will step out of conference play for Tuesday night's match with local rival Widener. Game time in Chester, Pa. is 7:00 p.m.