#18 Swarthmore Gets Back on Winning Track
BRYN MAWR, Pa. - The 18th-ranked Swarthmore women's soccer team resumed its winning ways Saturday afternoon, getting three goals from first-year players to sweep past the hometown Bryn Mawr Owls 3-0 in Centennial Conference action.
The Garnet (8-1-0 overall, 4-1 CC) rebounded from a tough 1-0 double overtime loss to Johns Hopkins, picking up their seventh shut-out of the season to move within two points of first-place Ursinus in the Centennial standings.
Swarthmore's first goal came in spectacular fashion, as freshman back Sarah Reece (Manhattan Beach, Calif. / Mira Costa) drilled the ball into the top corner of the Bryn Mawr goal from 35 yards out. The goal came right before the intermission (41:50) and is the first collegiate goal for Reece-she is the seventh Swarthmore first-year to tally a goal in 2007.
The Garnet picked up a pair of insurance goals mid-way through the second half. Freshman forward Megan Colombo (Arcadia, Calif. / Arcadia) scored her fourth goal of the season off an assist from sophomore forward Julia Luongo (Tallahassee, Fla. / Leon) at 71:22 while forward Kelsey Cline '11 (Stanwood, Wash. / Stanwood) notched her third score at 73:12 off a feed from classmate Hannah Purkey (Palo Alto, Calif. / Palo Alto).
Swarthmore out-shot the Owls (4-7-1, 0-5 CC) 14-2, getting a strong effort of the bench from freshmen forwards Amy Langdon (Indianapolis, Ind. / Lawrence North) and Amy Vachal (Somerset, N.J. / Rutgers Prep). The midfield play was controlled by Swarthmore All-Centennial sophomore Maggie DeLorme (Lusby, Mary. / Patuxent), who out-hustled opponents to each and every free ball.
Garnet junior goalkeeper Lauren Walker (Fallston, Mary. / The Hotchkiss School) posted two saves in goal, lowering her season goals-against average to 0.22 (good for top-ten in all of Division III).
The Garnet travel up the Northeast Extension this Wednesday, Oct. 10 to face the Muhlenberg Mules in a 7:00 p.m. Centennial match.