Garnet Come Up One Goal Short in Nail-Biting 7-6 Loss to No. 10 Dickinson
SWARTHMORE, Pa. – An enticing final minute surge by the Swarthmore College men's lacrosse team was not enough to overcome a four-goal run by No. 10 Dickinson in the second half as the Garnet fell to the Red Devils 7-6 on Saturday afternoon from Clothier Field Stadium. The Garnet (1-4, 0-2) fell in the final seconds to the nationally-ranked Red Devils (8-0, 1-0), as senior Gavin Musynske's potential game-tying goal missed the back of the net by mere inches, nailing the post as the final seconds ticked away.
Musynske's last-second shot hit the post, ending the Garnet's upset hopes.
Swat's final chance came with under a minute to play. A penalty by Dickinson left Swarthmore with a man advantage with only :46 seconds left to play and a golden opportunity to force the game into overtime. After an errant shot by senior Tyler Bradshaw, an excellent run by Max Hubbard maintained possession for Swarthmore and gave the Garnet one last chance with :24 seconds left. Desperate pries by the Garnet into the Red Devil defense would not give, as Musynske ripped a long distance shot that caromed off the crossbar to seal the Garnet’s fate.
Bradshaw led the Garnet offense with two goals and two assists, bringing his team-leading goal total to 10. Musynske, sophomore Max Hubbard, sophomore Zach Belden and freshman Wes Marcik all scored for Swarthmore. Sam Greenburg led the Red Devil offense with a hat trick.
Dickinson jumped out to a startling lead after winning the opening faceoff, when senior Chris Dodson scorched a shot past senior Kevin Friedenberg just seconds into the game. However, Swarthmore was not stunned, striking back only minutes later with an unassisted goal by Marcik.
With Marcik's goal, Swat began a second-period surge - thanks to a tenacious defense and opportunistic offense - adding fours more goals and taking the lead despite trailing Dickinson in shot attempts, ground balls, and time of possession.
An unassisted goal by Musynske on an athletic grab in traffic followed only 20 seconds after Marcik goal, a flip in by Belden to conclude the first quarter,an unassisted goal from Hubbard in the middle of the period and a remarkable high bouncing shot that found the back of the net by Bradshaw to end the half gave the Garnet a 5-3 lead and high hopes of knocking off Dickinson for the second straight year.
In the second half, Dickinson responded with a flurry of their own, taking advantage of long possessions and stellar ability to secure face offs. The Red Devils netted two goals in 12 seconds, the first by Senior Chris Dodson, his ninth of the season and the second by sophomore Sam Greenburg.
After Greenburg scored his third goal of the day on an incredible scoop from his back the Red Devils seemed to be in control with a 7-5 lead, their largest of the day. A feisty Garnet team wasn’t so convinced.
After a very physical back and forth stretch - each team accumulated seven penalties in the game - Bradshaw sneaked in his teaming-leading 10th goal of the season, cutting the Dickinson lead to one and putting the game within reach.
Friedenberg finished with 15 saves for the Garnet. Dickinson finished the game with significant advantages in shots, ground balls, faceoffs, and time of possession.
The loss is the Garnet’s second straight one goal defeat.
Swarthmore welcomes Franklin and Marshall at 4:00 on Wednesday at Clothier Field.