No. 2/3 Garnet Men Grind Out 1-0 Victory Over Washington
CHESTERTOWN, Md. - In what is becoming the go-to play for two of the Garnet's top offensive weapons, junior Micah Rose scored on a long blast from beyond the box in the 35th minute after he was set up by a pass back out of the area by senior Morgan Langley, as the No. 2/3 Swarthmore College men's soccer team (9-0, 3-0) went on the road and earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Washington College on Wednesday evening.
With the victory, the Garnet equal the 1966 squad for the best start in program history (9-0).
Rose scored his fourth goal of the season in the 35th minute.
For Langley, the assist is his 10th of the season through just nine games. Already the Garnet's all-time career and single season assists leader, Langley currently ranks first in Division III in total assists and was second in assists per game (1.13) as of Tuesday. With his fourth goal of the season, Rose has already passed his 2009 season total.
Junior David D'Annunzio made three saves to earn his third clean sheet of the season. The scoreline may have been different if it wasn't for a herculean effort from Washington goalkeeper Chris Phipps, who finished the game with 13 saves.
Playing in just its third road game of the season and first since its crucial win at Johns Hopkins, the Garnet quickly learned that no road contest in the Centennial will be easy - especially with the high-ranking target on its back. Despite being out-shot 35-7 for the game, the Shoremen (3-5-1, 0-2-1) fought hard all night and made Swarthmore work for everything.
The high-flying Garnet offense came out firing from the get-go, registering 10 shots in the first 20 minutes of play, including five on goal in the first 24 minutes. But Phipps was strong between the pipes all game long, keeping the Garnet off the board in the early going.
Then in the 35th minute, Swat was finally able to break down the Shoremen defense, as Langley made a move on the goal, drew a crowd of the defenders and passed back beyond the top of the box to an open Rose, who was waiting to drop the hammer from distance to give the Garnet the 1-0 lead. Swarthmore would record six more shots in the first half, but the score would remain 1-0 at the break.
In the second half, Swarthmore would continue to pressure Washington - shooting18 more times with eight reaching goal - but Phipps and Shoremen defense would keep the Garnet from adding to the score for the remainder of the game. With a suffocating defensive performance and a D'Annunzio save on a shot by Washington's Justin Geho in the 80th minute, the Garnet kept the Shoremen off the scoreboard and finished off the 1-0 road victory.
Swarthmore finished the game with an 8-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Garnet hit the road once again this weekend with a trip to Centennial-rival Gettysburg. Action is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.