#17 Red Devils Shut Down Garnet
CARLISLE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore women's lacrosse team continued its brutal stretch, facing its third nationally-ranked opponent in as many Centennial Conference games and its fifth road contest. On this afternoon, 17th-ranked Dickinson scored the first six goals of the game and never looked back, earning a 20-2 victory over the visiting Garnet.
The Red Devils (6-3, 3-0 CC) got their first goal from Amy Jennings with 27:20 left in the first half; nine minutes later, at 18:29, Jena Boccetti completed the early hat trick to give the hosts a 6-0 lead. Swarthmore (5-5, 0-3 CC) controlled the ensuing draw and took the ball right down the field; junior Megan Sanborn converted a feed from senior Lindsay Roth after just four seconds had elapsed.
Dickinson got two more goals from Jennings before Swarthmore senior Athena Samaras notched an unassisted goal with 11:34 on the clock. Dickinson scored twice before the end of the half to take a 10-2 lead headed into the break.
The second half belonged to the Red Devils, who scored 10 unanswered goals in the period. Katie Austin finished with a team-high four tallies, while Boccetti, Jennings, and Alyssa Crellin each pitched in with three. Jennings added five assists, increasing her season total to a team-high 16.
Sanborn led the Garnet with six ground balls, three caused turnovers, and three draw controls. The junior's goal gives her 25 points on the season and a one-point edge over sophomore Marissa Schaffer for the team lead.
Each team controlled 12 of the 24 draws; Dickinson held a 38-18 advantage in shots and a 24-16 edge in ground balls. Garnet junior goalkeeper Susannah Blair made nine saves, while Caitlin Kingsley stopped four shots and Gabby Joffie seven for the Red Devils.
Swarthmore will travel to St. Davids, Pa. to face non-conference foe Eastern University on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Last year's Garnet-Eagles match-up went right down to the wire before Swarthmore came out on top, 11-10. On Saturday, April 7, Swarthmore will play at home for the first time in over two weeks when #14 McDaniel comes to town for a 3:00 p.m. CC match-up.