Flurry of Early Goals Dooms No. 16 Garnet in 2-1 Loss at Muhlenberg
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Swarthmore junior Elizabeth Mills scored in the fifth minute, but Muhlenberg scored two early goals of its own within the first seven minutes of play, as the No. 16 Garnet (10-3, 4-2) ended up on the wrong end of the wild start, losing to the Mules 2-1 on Wednesday evening.
Mills tied the game for the Garnet in the fifth minute.
The critical Centennial Conference match-up between the second and third-place teams was frantic from the opening whistle. The homestanding Mules got on the scoreboard in the second minute thanks to an own goal by the Garnet. With goalkeeper Marie Mutryn charging a shot, a Swat defender headed the ball in front of Mutryn, with the redirected shot slipping past the charging keeper, giving the Mules the surprising 1-0 lead.
The Garnet wasted no time dwelling on the own goal, scoring the equalizer just three minutes later. Mills scored her third goal of the season with an assist from junior Megan Colombo - who ranks in the Top 10 in the Conference in points - beating the Mules' goalkeeper on a one-on-one, evening the score at 1-1.
But the wild start wasn't quite finished - and the result didn't favor the Garnet. Muhlenberg's Kasey Hacker's shot from 20-yards out hit the crossbar and bounced into the goal, giving the Mules a 2-1 lead.
After the frantic opening minutes, the leading Mules controlled the tempo and style of play for much of the remainder of the game, hanging on the rest of the way for the 2-1 win.
Mutryn made six saves in goal for the Garnet. Muhlenberg goalkeeper Michele Toher made just one save, but helped stop the Garnet attack by playing far out in the front of the goal.
The two goals surrendered by the Garnet marks the first time the team has allowed more than one goal to an opponent in a Centennial Conference regular-season game since 2006. The loss is also the Garnet's first on the road this season.
The Garnet will have the weekend to regroup, returning to action on Wednesday, October 21, when it hosts Ursinus. Play is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.