Fords Dash Garnet Playoff Hopes
HAVERFORD, Pa -- The Swarthmore men's lacrosse team had its playoff hopes dashed Saturday afternoon, as 10th-ranked Haverford scored six goals in the third quarter on the way to a 9-7 Centennial Conference win at Swan Field.
The Garnet conclude the season with a 6-8 overall record and a 3-5 mark in the Centennial, missing the playoffs by just one game. The Fords (12-2, 8-0 CC) are the top seed in the upcoming CC Championships and will host McDaniel on Friday night.
Swarthmore jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two quarters of play, using an aggressive offense (11-4 shot advantage in the first period) to counter its normal defensive effort.
Garnet senior Ben Young (Washington, D.C. / St. Alban’s) opened up the action with his sixth goal of the season at 13:06, taking a feed from junior attacker Tyler Bradshaw (Marietta, Ga. / Lassiter). Swarthmore went up 2-0 when senior attacker Stelios Wilson (Moorestown, N.J. / Moorestown) scored off a pass from freshman John Bukawyn (Short Hills, N.J. / Phillips Academy Andover (Mass.)). It was the first assist of Buakwyn’s collegiate career.
After a Fords goal, Swarthmore opened up a 3-1 lead as freshman attacker Max Hubbard (Washington, D.C. / St. Alban’s) notched his 10th goal of the season on a feed from junior attacker Gavin Musynske (Floral Park, N.Y. / Floral Park Memorial).
Wilson tallied his second goal of the game in the second period, the lone goal in the session, scoring an extra-man goal to put Swarthmore out front, 4-1.
The Fords came storming back in the third quarter, rattling off five consecutive goals to assume the 6-4 lead. Bradshaw ended the run with an unassisted goal at the 2:34 mark, his team-leading 21st score of the season.
Haverford goals on either side of the beginning of the fourth period face-off, opening the 8-5 lead. Musynske scored his 19th goal off a pass from senior midfielder David DeSimone (Ronkonkoma, N.Y. / Connetquot) and junior midfielder Anthony Phalen (Needham, Mass. / Needham) tallied his sixth goal with 2:55 left but the Fords lead proved too much to overcome.
Garnet goalie Kevin Friedenberg ’10 (Needham, Mass. / Needham) posted 14 saves for the Garnet while his Fords’ counterpart, Joe Banno, posted seven saves (including four in the final quarter).