No. 2 Garnet Men, Franklin & Marshall Play to 0-0 Draw
LANCASTER, Pa. - There's a reason the Centennial Conference is widely considered the nation's best conference for Division III men's soccer.
Despite controlling possession throughout and owning a 15-7 advantage in shots and 7-3 edge in shots on goal , the No. 2 Swarthmore College men's soccer team (11-0-2, 4-0-2) could not break down a stingy Diplomat defense, as the Garnet was forced to settle for a 0-0 draw with Franklin & Marshall (6-3-3, 2-1-3) on a windy Saturday afternoon in Lancaster.
D'Annunzio made two saves in overtime to preserve the tie.
Junior goalkeeper David D'Annunzio made four saves to earn the clean sheet for the Garnet, and may have preserved the tie with an excellent save of a curving shot from F&M's Rob Hassler in the 100th minute of play. Diplomat goalkeeper Zack Zamek was equally impressive, finishing the day with seven saves, including a penalty kick, to keep the high-powered Garnet offense off the scoreboard for the first this season.
A tough, physical game played against a heavy wind, the Garnet maintained a majority of the possession throughout the first half but was unable to find pay dirt. Junior Fabian Castro and freshman Noah Sterngold both placed shots on target, but Zamek was up task to keep Swat off the board. For its part, the Swarthmore defense was suffocating from the opening whistle, holding the Diplomats without a single shot on the goal for the first frame.
The score remained deadlocked at 0-0 through the second half, but Swat would receive a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 60th minute, when senior Morgan Langley was taken down in the box to earn a penalty kick. The penalty kick - taken by Castro - however would not prove to be the difference for the Garnet, as Zamek made a great save on Castro's powerful boot to keep the game scoreless.
From there, the Garnet would continue to create chances throughout both overtime periods - including a shot on goal from junior Micah Rose in the 101st minute - only to come up just short. With the Garnet defense maintaining its composure throughout and limiting the F&M chances, the game would play out to a 0-0 final after two overtime periods.
Swarthmore hits the road for its final non-conference match of the season. when it travels to Richard Stockton on Wednesday. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.