SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Swarthmore passed its biggest test of the season to date, taking it to the #11 Montclair State Red Hawks all afternoon long before settling for a 0-0 tie. The Garnet remain undefeated on the season at 3-0-2.
Montclair State (3-0-1) went 20-1-1 in 2006 and is currently ranked #11 in the country. The Garnet saw the day's match as an excellent opportunity to prepare for next Saturday's faceoff with #9 Johns Hopkins. After their performance against the Red Hawks, the Garnet have guaranteed that Saturday's match will be as highly-anticipated as any on the 2007 Centennial slate.
Active ball pressure from Garnet forwards Michael Bonesteel '08 (Clifton Park, N.Y. / LaSalle Institute) and Evan Nesterak '09 (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) forced an early turnover in the Red Hawks' end, leading to a corner kick and the team's first scoring opportunity.
The match's first good scoring chance came in the 28th minute, when Montclair's John Esposito played a diagonal ball backwards to a wide-open, Mike Krol, who scorched the ball just inches wide of the net from 20 yards out.
Swarthmore made good use of its depth, as 16 players saw first-half action without any drop-off in quality of play. Overall, the Garnet used 18 players to Montclair's 14.
A Montclair turnover led to a 3-on-2 opportunity for the Garnet in the 42nd minute, but skillful play from a Red Hawk defender forced a goal kick. Later, with just seconds on the clock, Swarthmore junior defender Rory Stackpole (Sanford, Maine / Sanford) sent a free kick into the box, but Mele grabbed the ball just over the head of junior Ladule Lako Lo Sarah (Davis, Calif. / Claremont).
Montclair opened the second half on the attack, culminating in Nick Masterson's too-high shot at 46:39 before the Red Hawks finally cleared the ball in the 3rd minute.
Swarthmore nearly got on the board five minutes later when a bouncing ball came to Nesterak in the box, but Mele came out in time to force an awkward shot that flew over the goal. In the 12th, minute, freshman Toby Resch (Darmstadt, Germany / Ludwig-Georgs-Gymnasium) ran onto a free ball about 25 yards out but his shot was also too high. More scoring chances followed, as the Garnet attack continued to gather momentum.
The intensity escalated into more extracurricular activity in the 72th minute, resulting in a Montclair free kick and eventually a Krol bicycle kick shot that went well wide.
In the 83rd minute, Montclair's Owen Nichols found the post with a shot from just inside the box. The ball came out to Red Hawk Mike Vermes, but Garnet goalkeeper Ryan Sutcliffe (Milford, Del. / Milford) sprinted to the ball in time to cut off Vermes's angle and made the save.
The fast and furious play continued right to the end-of-half horn, when Garnet senior midfielder Andrew Macurdy (Lumberton, N.J. / Rancocas Valley) forced Mele to make yet another save from 30 yards out.
Swarthmore nearly ended the game in beautiful fashion after sophomore forward Andres Freire (Philadelpia, Pa. / Central) fed a beautiful pass to Nesterak through traffic. Nesterak dribbled around one more defender and got off a good shot, but it went just wide. Two Garnet corner kicks followed, but the Red Hawks finally cleared the ball with just over four minutes on the clock.
With 1:36 on the clock, Swarthmore junior Stu Leon (Wrentham, Mass. / King Phillip Regional) went down hard and had to be helped off the field. The remaining seconds passed largely uneventfully, and the thrilling match continued into a second extra session.
Montclair's Owen Nichols one-touched a powerful shot in traffic near the goal just over three minutes in, but the ball went right into the waiting arms of Sutcliffe, who went down to his knees to secure the save.
Swarthmore had all the chances as the clock ticked down, forcing Mele to touch the ball three times in the final minute, but could not get a shot off before time expired.
All of the statistics favored Swarthmore, who had a 20-13 shot advantage and a 6-3 edge in corner kicks. Mele made nine saves for the Red Hawks; Sutcliffe had to make just three for the Garnet in his third shutout of the season.
The Garnet defense played perhaps their best match of the season, getting significant minutes from senior Darren Johnson (Lexington, Va. / Rockbridge County). Five games into the season-a span of eight hours and ten minutes--Swarthmore has let in just one goal.
Swarthmore has one more non-conference test--at the perennially strong Seahawks of St. Mary's (Md.)--before the aforementioned barnburner against Johns Hopkins. The Centennial Conference season-opening match is the second half of next Saturday's soccer doubleheader at Clothier Stadium. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
.jpg)
