A-Mac, Garnet Claw Past Bears
COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- Swarthmore senior midfielder Andrew Macurdy (Lumberton, NJ / Rancocas Valley) scored his first career goal as the Garnet picked up a key Centennial Conference road win, 2-1 at Ursinus in Collegeville, Pa.
Macurdy's goal came in the third minute of play. Junior Ladule Lako Lo Sarah (Davis, CA / Claremont) flicked the ball towards the box from the left side, and Macurdy left no doubt by drilling it into the top corner. The assist increases Lo Sarah's team-leading points total to 14.
Ursinus goalkeeper Joseph Kenney (Drexel Hill, PA / Shipley) was injured on the play, and was replaced by Ed de Gottal (Flemington, NJ / St. Joseph).
Swarthmore's lead would prove to be short-lived, though, as Ursinus marched right down the field and tied the score just 17 seconds later. Freshman Brendan Gifford got credit for the goal, the first of his young career, and classmate Ian Reitman picked up the assist.
The next 42 minutes passed without a goal, and the score remained 1-1 at halftime.
The Garnet got off to another fast start in the second half and once again cashed in with a quick goal. After bouncing around near the net, the ball came to junior Evan Nesterak (Parker, CO / Ponderosa), who fired a shot past de Gottal and into the lower left corner at 47:24 for his second goal of the year.
Garnet goalkeeper Ryan Sutcliffe (Milford, DE / Milford) made the lead stand up, making a total of two saves on the afternoon. The Bears got a solid emergency performance from de Gottal, who made four stops.
Swarthmore finished the match with a 17-8 shot advantage.
The Garnet have a week to gear up for their next Centennial Conference contest. Swarthmore will get a shot at making a statement win next Saturday, when conference co-leader Franklin & Marshall comes to town for a 7:00 p.m. match on Clothier Field.