Garnet Comeback Falls Short, Fall To Ursinus
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore midfielder Lindsay Roth '07 scored four goals, including three scores in a span of just over six minutes, but it was not enough as the Garnet lost a heartbreaker to Ursinus 8-7 in Centennial Conference women's lacrosse action Thursday night on Clothier Field. The loss eliminates Swarthmore from Centennial Conference playoff contention.
Ursinus (10-5, 6-2 CC) opened the game with back-to-back scores from Liz Cannon and Leah Kramer to put the Bears ahead early. Senior midfielder Katie Crawford put the Swarthmore (9-7, 2-5 CC) on the board with her 18th goal of the season just seconds later before Ursinus tallied four unanswered goals and jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Roth scored her first goal of the evening with just two seconds remaining in the first half, a score that would prove to be an important score as the game progressed.
Garnet sophomore midfielder Anna de Regt and senior attack Athena Samaras, assisted by Crawford and Megan Sanborn '08, respectively, scored to start the second half, yet Ursinus matched these two tallies with two of their own. At the 10:36 mark, Roth scored the first of three back-to-back unassisted goals which brought the Garnet within one score.
The final 7:23 of the game turned into a defensive battle as both teams were unable to put the ball in the net. Swarthmore goalkeeper Susannah Blair '08 made the biggest of her ten saves on a free position attempt with 5:40 remaining to keep the Garnet in the game.
Swarthmore had a number of scoring opportunities in the final few minutes but was unable to convert on any; sophomore attack Marissa Schaffer missed wide on a free position attempt with 1:10 remaining in the game, and de Regt took a shot that went wide with 0:32 remaining.
The loss eliminates the Garnet from the 2007 Centennial playoffs, as they needed wins in their final three games to earn a second straight berth.
Roth now has 23 goals in 2007, currently ranking eighth all-time in scoring at Swarthmore with 123 career scores.
Swarthmore play their final home game of the 2007 season Saturday afternoon versus rival Haverford, in a game that is scheduled to start at noon. Swarthmore's seniors Roth, Crawford, Samaras and defender Paige Gentry will be honored prior to the start of the game as part of the annual Senior Day recognition.