Julia Lights Up The Allentown Night
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Swarthmore sophomore forward Julia Luongo (Tallahassee, Fla. / Leon) made her first goal of the season a big one, scoring in the 96th minute to give the 24th-ranked Garnet a 2-1 overtime win over Muhlenberg in Centennial women's soccer action Wednesday night.
Luongo has become a thorn in the Mules' side, tallying her second overtime game-winner in as many games-the sophomore scored from 35 yards out on Sept. 26, 2006 to procure a 1-0 overtime win (snapping a 10-game Muhlenberg winning streak).
Swarthmore (9-1 overall, 5-1 CC) remains tied for second place in the Centennial with 15 points, one point behind Ursinus. The Garnet face the Bears (8-3-2 overall, 5-0-1) on Wed., Oct. 17 at Clothier Field.
In the first half, Garnet goalie Lauren Walker '09 (Fallston, Md. / The Hotchkiss School) thwarted the Mule offense. Aiding the Garnet defense during a close Muhlenberg corner kick, Walker cut off a cross and safely cleared the ball.
The Garnet controlled possession early in the first half-forward Megan Colombo '11 (Arcadia, Calif./ Arcadia) led the offense with four first-half shots. Colombo had a shot attempt off an amazing cross from teammate Katie Kanuka '10 (Oakville, Ontario / Holy Trinity Catholic) with less than ten minutes left in the first half. The game, however, was tied at 0-0 going into the second half.
The Garnet pushed hard for the win in the second half, dominating field play.
The Mules, however, struck first. Walker came out to challenge a Mule striker and beat with quick footwork. Garnet defender Laura Bolger '11 (Centerport, N.Y. / Harbourfields) attempted to aid her goalkeeper, but was flagged for a foul in the box. A penalty kick was awarded and Mules freshman Valerie Patriarca (Hedding, N.J. / The Hun School) took advantage of the free kick, scoring her seventh goal to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
At 71:10, Swarthmore midfielder Kirsten Peterson '11 (Fenton, Mich./ Powers Catholic) sent in a pass right in front of the Mules' goal line, heading towards classmate Kelsey Cline '11 (Stanwood, Wash./ Stanwood). Cline headed the ball home for her fourth goal of the season despite Mule net minder Kate Norrissey (Huntington, N.Y./ Huntington) getting her fingers on it.
Going into extra minutes with a score of 1-1 the game took on a new face, it was win or go home. Luongo's heroics came on a corner kick at 95:36, the ball bouncing off a Mules' defender and the sophomore one-timed it through a gaggle of Muhlenberg players for the game-winner.
Walker made a pair of saves for the Garnet while Morrissey added six saves for Muhlenberg.
Swarthmore women's soccer continues the season on Sat., Oct. 13th when they travel to Villa Julie for a 1:00 p.m. match time.