Garnet Clinch Playoff Berth, Knot Fords
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Swarthmore women’s soccer team clinched its second consecutive Centennial Conference playoff berth after battling to a 1-1 tie at rival Haverford Tuesday afternoon.
Swarthmore (11-2-1 overall, 6-2-1 CC) now has 19 points, sitting in third place behind Johns Hopkins (24) and Ursinus (21). All three teams, as well as Gettysburg, have secured playoff berths--the fifth and final spot, with Haverford and Franklin & Marshall still alive, will be determined following this weekend's action.
The Garnet opened the scoring in the 13th minute, starting with a free kick from midfield by freshman defender Sarah Reece (Manhattan Beach, Calif. / Mira Costa). Reece boomed a cross to the left edge of the Fords’ penalty box where freshman midfielder Kirsten Peterson (Fenton, Mich. / Powers Catholic) settled the ball and beat a Haverford defender towards the end line. After two brief steps, Peterson fired a cross across the goal mouth. A Ford defender got a piece of the ball but it still found Swarthmore freshman Hannah Purkey (Palo Alto, Calif. / Palo Alto), who needed one touch before firing in her second goal of the season at 13:45.
Swarthmore controlled much of the first-half action, out-shooting the Fords 8-3 with seven corners to Haverford’s zero.
The Fords evened things up in the 54th minute, drawing a penalty shot on the west end of Walton Field. Haverford senior forward Ryan Hedrick (Walnut Creek, Calif. / Northgate) converted the penalty kick, drilling it just under the crossbar for her third goal of the season.
Haverford built on the momentum, creating several scoring chances based on the speed of Fords’ sophomore midfielder Molly Graepel (New Providence, N.J. / New Providence). The hometown team out-shot the Garnet 7-4 and attempted two corners to zero for Swarthmore.
The Garnet did make two valiant attempts to end the game in regulation, but both times they were unable to turn and get a solid shot off.
The two teams headed to overtime where Swarthmore picked up the only two shots of the stanza.
Garnet freshman forward Megan Colombo (Arcadia, Calif. / Arcadia) almost ended the game in the 101st minute, but her header missed wide of the Fords’ net. Colombo was at it again two minutes later, banging a chip shot off the cross bar.
Neither team could find the back of the net, as the final shot total read 18-10 Swarthmore.
Garnet junior goalkeeper Lauren Walker (Fallston, Mary. / The Hotchkiss School) made four saves in net while Fords’ counterpart Lindsey Festa also posted four stops.
Swarthmore women’s soccer completes the 2007 regular season this Saturday, October 27 when Franklin & Marshall comes to Clothier Field for a 1:00 p.m. contest. The Garnet women will celebrate Senior Day, honoring Swarthmore’s Danielle Tocchet ‘08 and Kristen Traband ’08.