Swarthmore Blanks Cedar Crest, Fall To Vassar In Snow
WELLESLEY, Mass.-- Sophomore Marissa Schaffer tallied a career-high five goals while captain Athena Samaras '07 and Hannah Jaicks '10 added three scores in Swarthmore's convincing 16-0 first-round win over Cedar Crest at the 2007 Seven Sisters Women's Lacrosse Championship hosted by Wellesley College.
Swarthmore, the 2006 champion, advanced to the semi-finals against Vassar, an 18-7 winner of Mount Holyoke. The Brewers defeated the Garnet (4-3) by a score of 13-6 in snow and sleet on Saturday night.
The Garnet now move to the third-place game against Smith College, scheduled to be played at 11:00 a.m. at Babson College on Sunday, March 25.
Swarthmore used stifling defense, allowing Cedar Crest only four shots in the first half, to build a 12-0 lead before the break. Schaffer netted all five goals in the first period, while Jaicks and senior captain Lindsay Roth chipped in two each. Swarthmore added four more goals in the second half, including two from Samaras. Garnet sophomore midfielder Melinda Petre reached a milestone, scoring her first collegiate goal at 10:21.
The Swarthmore defense, led by goalies Susannah Blair (three saves) and Allison Grein (two saves), posted a shutout in the opening round of Seven Sisters play for a second consecutive year. The Garnet defeated Elms 14-0 on Clothier Field in 2006.
It is the 25th shutout in the history of the women's lacrosse program at Swarthmore and the first time the Garnet have blanked an opponent in consecutive years since 1984-85.