Swat Men Keep Dancing
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore junior midfielder Dylan Langley headed in a free kick from freshman Fabian Castro in the 30th minute, and Garnet goalkeeper David D'Annunzio '12 posted a pair of saves as hometown Swarthmore defeated Dickinson, 1-0, in second-round action of the 2008 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championships Sunday evening at Clothier Field.
The Garnet (17-2-2) advance into the round of 16 to face Amherst (Mass.) College from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Date, time and site are to be determined.
A boisterous crowd at Clothier Field saw a typical Conference rivalry reach a new tilt. The hometown Garnet dominated much of the scoring chances in the early going, posting an 8-0 shot advantage in the first 45 minutes.
A Dickinson foul on the left flank gave Swarthmore an opportunity to execute a set-piece. Castro (Houston, Texas / Lamar), just inserted into the game, drove a cross to the far side of the Red Devil box to Langley (Honolulu, Hawaii / Iolani School) , who cleanly headed the ball into the left side of the Dickinson net at 29:52. It is Langley’s seventh goal of the season and the first assist of Castro’s collegiate career.
The Red Devils (13-5-3) picked up the offensive attack in the second half, nearly scoring the equalizer in the 85th minute. Junior midfielder Matt Edgar (Vineland, N.J. / Vineland) controlled a bounding ball at the top of the Swarthmore penalty box and looked to shoot. D’Annunzio (Piedmont, Calif. / Piedmont) had come off his line on the service and got caught in no-man’s land. The freshman goalkeeper darted out to meet Edgar, blocking the Dickinson midfielder’s shot to the side.
The final shot total tilted towards Swarthmore (14-8), while the Garnet attempted seven corner kicks with none for Dickinson.
D’Annunzio posts his ninth shutout of the season, tying the school record held by Andrew Cavenagh ’92 (done twice, 1990 and ’91).
Red Devil goalkeeper Rodrigo Barboza (Caracas, Venezuela / Kent School [CT]) made four saves for Dickinson.
Swarthmore is appearing in its fourth NCAA Tournament (1974, ’90, ’91), and wins two Tournament games for the first time in 34 years. The 1974 squad topped Lock Haven (1-0) and MacMurray (1-0) before falling in the national championship game to Brockport (N.Y.).
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