Athletics News

SWARTHMORE/USMMA BOX
WIDENER/DELAWARE VALLEY BOX

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Garnet junior Jeff Kushner (Norristown, Pa. / Methacton) headed home the eventual game-winner, giving the Swarthmore Garnet a 2-1 victory over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Mariners on a sunny dry Sunday afternoon at the 10th annual Garnet Alumni Classic.

Widener (2-0) defeated Delaware Valley 6-0 later in the afternoon to wrap up the tournament.

The Mariners (0-2) were first on the board in the early game as midfielder Clint Foster (Mt. Pleasant, Tex. / Mt. Pleasant) finished off a feed from midfielder Chris Flanagan (Yaphank, N.Y. / St. Anthony's) at 12:03. A physical contest throughout (19 fouls aside, three cards), the Garnet evened the match when junior Evan Nesterak (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) climbed the ladder and headed home a cross from senior midfielder Pat Christmas (Chapel Hill, N.C. / East Chapel Hill) at 30:59.

Swarthmore received a free kick 15 yards outside the box at the start of the second half. Senior defender Brendan Grady (San Jose, Calif. / Bellarmine) bent the ball to the far post where Kushner leaped over a Mariner defender to put home his second career goal at 49:09. Garnet senior goalkeeper Ryan Sutcliffe (Milford, Del. / Milford) made the score stand up with four saves.

USMMA goalie Preston Stokes (Overland Park, Kas. / Blue Valley) posted four saves for the visitors.

A swift first goal for the Widener Pride found its way into the Aggies' (0-2) goal at 0:48 off the foot of sophomore Justin McCall (Brookhaven, Pa. / Sun Valley). The goal was assisted by senior Frank Nolan (Hatboro, Pa. / Archbishop Wood), who had sent a cross in from the right side of the box. McCall's second goal of the day was a rebound put-back after teammate Doug Gabel (Feasterville, Pa. / Neshaminy) hit the off the cross bar-Nolan picked up another assist.

Widener midfielder Bill James (Perkasie, Pa. / Pennridge) also racked up a total of three assists on the day, including a cross to Stu Johnson '09 (North Wales, Pa. / North Penn), who scored at the 29:35 mark. In the second half, Bill James scored off a rebounded hit that came from his brother, Brian James '11 (Perkasie, Pa. / Pennridge). The final goal of the day was a solid ball from Johnson who scored off a corner kick assisted by the James' brothers at 67:41.

10th Garnet Alumni Classic Results

Saturday, Sept. 1
Widener 1, USMMA 0 OT
Swarthmore 10, Delaware Valley 0

Sunday, Sept. 2
Swarthmore 2, USMMA 1
Widener 6, Delaware Valley 0

All-Tournament Team

Ryan Masterson, Delaware Valley
Ladule Lako Lo Sarah, Swarthmore
Andres Freire, Swarthmore
Patrick Christmas, Swarthmore
Jeff Kushner, Swarthmore
Clint Foster, USMMA
Joe Castro, USMMA
Chad Dye, Widener
Doug Gabel, Widener
Bill James, Widener
Marty Squicciarini, Widener

SWARTHMORE/NEUMANN BOX
VILLA JULIE/CATHOLIC BOX

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Garnet senior forward Danielle Tocchet (West Point, N.Y. / James. I. O'Neill) scored twice as Swarthmore defeated Neumann 3-0 on the second day of play at the 12th annual Swat Kick Classic Sunday afternoon. Catholic (1-1) used a strong offensive attack to take down Villa Julie 2-0 in the first game of the day.

Catholic started the second day of games out-shooting the Mustangs (1-1) by 11-1 in the first half. Cardinals' junior Elyse Bellardini (Wayne, N.J. / Wayne Valley) chipped the ball in the back of the net for an unassisted goal with 14:54 on the clock. Catholic continued to fire away, getting an unassisted score from junior forward Suzie Peters (Nanuet, N.Y. / Albertus Magnus) at 82:59 to ensure the victory. The Cardinals out-shot the Mustangs by a margin of 29-3.

Catholic netminder Tere Rossi (Annandale, Va. / Falls Church) posted one save for her first shut-out of the season while Villa Julie goal keeper Casey Brown '10 (Poolesville, Md. / Westminster) had 13 saves for the Mustangs.

In the second match of the morning, Swarthmore (2-0) scored two goals in the first half to assume the early lead. Tocchet scored her first goal, unassisted, at 6:40 into the match. Swarthmore sophomore Julia Luongo (Tallahasse, Fla. / Powers Catholic) nailed the crossbar on a shot attempt and Tocchet followed with a chip-in for her second goal of the day. The third goal came from sophomore forward Caitlin O'Neil '10 (Del Mar, Calif. / The Bishop's School).a crisp cross by midfielder Lizbeeth Lopez (Sacramento, Calif. / West Campus), after a long feed from freshman midfielder Kirsten Peterson (Fenton, Mich. / Powers Catholic).

All-Tournament selection Lauren Walker '09 (Fallston, Md. / Hotchkiss School) continued her solid work guarding the net combining with captain Kristen Traband '08 (Swarthmore, Pa. / Ridley) for the team's second shut-out.

Garnet freshman Megan Colombo was named All-TOurnament.

The Knight's goalie Caitlin Agnew '10 (Philadelphia, Pa. / Little Flower) had a busy day in the net, posting 11 saves.

2007 Swat Kick Classic Results

Saturday, September 1
Swarthmore 1, Catholic 0
Villa Julie 2, Neumann 1

Saturday, September2
Catholic 2, Villa Julie 0
Swarthmore 3, Neumann 0

All-Tournament Team
Elyse Bellardini, Catholic
Katelynn Chambers, Catholic
Suzie Peters, Catholic
Diana Napolitano, Catholic
Casey Geary, Neumann
Vicky Segal, Neumann
Lauren Walker, Swarthmore
Megan Colombo, Swarthmore
Sarah Reese, Swarthmore
Danielle Tocchet, Swarthmore
Kaitlyn Amos, Villa Julie
Tonia Cristino, Villa Julie

COMPLETE MEET RESULTS

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - The Garnet harriers had two top-ten women finishers and a pack of four men finishing in the top 40 runners as they opened the season at the Delaware Valley Invitational.

The Garnet women started their season off with a positive note by placing third overall. Making her Swarthmore debut, sophomore Ashley Davis (New Providence, N.J./ Hunterdon Central Regional) was the day's top for the Garnet, placing eighth and coming in at 25:33. Right behind Davis was Emma Staley '09 (Fogelsville, Pa./ Parkland) , also at 25:33 and placing ninth. Sticking together as a team Caitlin Russell '11 (Mountain View, Calif./ Los Altos), Lauren Deluca '10 (Audubon, Pa./ Kennedy-Kenrick), Kathy Feeney (Staatsburg, N.Y./ F D Roosevelt) and Faith Pampel '09 (Little Silver, N.J./ Red Bunk Regional) all finished in the 27th minute of the race.

With two runners in the top 10 and five in the top 31, the Garnet women finished third overall among 15 teams, trailing only Ursinus and West Chester.

Sophomore Jonnie Tompkins (Swarthmore, Pa. / Strath Haven) led the Garnet men in today's meet placing 33rd with a 29:52 race time. Coming in at 34th, 35th and 36th finishes were Ross Weller '08 (McConnellsburg, Pa./ Mercersburg Academy) 29:53, Jon Shoop '08 (Incline Village, Nev./ Incline ) 29:54, and Micah Katz '08 (Stevens Point, Wis./ Stevens Point Area) also at 29:54.

Swarthmore's balanced attack earned the squad seventh place among the 19 teams competing.

The Garnet will next run on Saturday, Sept. 12 in the annual Alumni/Alumnae Meet hosted on the Swarthmore campus. Race time is 12:00 p.m; come out and see the teams in their only home meet of the season.

BOX SCORE

BRYN MAWR, Pa. -- On a beautiful summer afternoon the Swarthmore Garnet (1-0, 1-0 CC) started the 2007 season with a 5-0 win at Bryn Mawr (0-1, 0-1 CC).

In the first 24 seconds of the game, Garnet sophomore Hoa Pham (East Lansdowne, Pa. / Penn Wood) scored an unassisted goal. An aggressive afternoon for the Garnet forwards--they racked up 30 shots and 22 recorded on net. On a penalty corner, Abbe Muller '10 (West Hartford, Conn. / Conrad) sent in a ball that Natalie Stone '09 (Philadelphia, Pa. / Friends Select School) capitalized on for her first goal of the season.

In her first appearance as a Garnet, Sara McCabe '11 (Millsboro, Del. / Sussx Central) scored two goals. The freshman forward assisted by both Devon Novotnak '11 (Fogelsville, Pa. / Northwestern Lehigh) and junior Sarah Reynolds (Potomac, Md. / Holton-Arms School) contributed to the team's win.

On the defensive side both goalies got into the game; sophomore Gina Grubb (Pittsburg, Pa. / Oakland Catholic) relieved Katie Ashmore '11 (Princeton, N.J. / Princeton High) after her debut wearing the Garnet and grey.

The Garnet will face non-conference opponent the Widener Pride on Thursday, September 6, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

CORTLAND, N.Y. - Garnet junior outside hitter Jen Wang (Palo Alto, Calif. / Henry Gunn) posted a team-high 41 kills with two double-doubles as Swarthmore posted a 1-3 record at the 2007 Red Dragon Classic, hosted by SUNY-Cortland this past weekend.

Swarthmore drew SUNY-Fredonia in the first match, falling 3-0 by scores of 30-22, 30-21, 30-26. Wang led the way with eight kills, three aces and 10 digs while junior Erin Heaney (Buffalo, N.Y. / City Honors) added 10 digs. Sophomore Kearney Bangs (Kingston, Wash. / North Kitsap) picked up where she left off last season (8.67 assists per game), posting 30 assists. Senior middles Karen Berk (Havertown, Pa. / Haverford) and Katherine Gold (Cherry Hill, N.J. / Cherry Hill East) combined for 13 kills and 11 blocks.

The next Garnet opponent turned out to be Stevens Tech, the 21st-ranked team in the country. Swarthmore did not back down, taking the first game before falling 3-1 to the Ducks (27-30, 30-18, 30-14, 30-13). Wang put up 10 kills, 12 digs and three aces while Heaney led the defense with 17 digs. Bangs added a double-double of her own with 25 assists and 10 digs while freshman Sarah Lambert (Darlington, Pa. / Blackhawk) contributed 11 digs. Swarthmore will face the Ducks again later this month at the annual Garnet Classic.

Swarthmore drew another tough opponent, Montclair State, in the first match on Saturday. The Red Hawks (1-2), semifinalists in the 2006 NJAC playoffs, used a powerful middle attack to get past Swarthmore 3-0 with game scores of 30-25, 30-24, 30-28. Wang led the Garnet with another double-double, tallying 11 kills, 12 digs and a pair of aces. Bangs collected 24 assists while Heaney contributed a team-high 15 digs. Senior opposite Vanessa Wells (Chicago, Ill. / Lincoln Park) posted nine kills while Lambert, running a 6-2 offense with Bangs, posted six assists and eight digs.

The Garnet (1-3) picked up their first win of 2007 with a 3-0 win over Buffalo State-the game scores were 30-19, 30-17, 30-18. Wang led the way with 12 kills while Gold chipped in 11 of her own. Bangs put together a strong overall performance with 15 assists, four digs, five aces and four kills while Lambert had her best game to-date (19 assists, 15 digs). Berk chipped in with seven kills and three aces.

Swarthmore will make their home debut next Saturday, September 8, in a tri-match with Marymount and Neumann. The first match of the day begins at 11:00 a.m. in Tarble Gymnasium.

WIDENER - USMMA BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE - DELAWARE VALLEY BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, P.A. - Widener earned a thrilling overtime win in the afternoon game and Swarthmore tied a school record for goals under the lights in an exciting first day of the 10th annual Garnet Alumni Classic.

The Widener Pride (1-0) withstood the physical play of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (0-1), defeating the Kings Point Mariners 1-0 in overtime. After 90 minutes of hard-fought play with only 15 combined shots and three yellow cards, the action opened up in overtime. Just 1:38 into the extra session, Pride junior Doug Gabel found a soft spot in the USMMA defense, received a pretty through ball from Justin McCall (who had just taken a Justin Jeff Hurlock feed), and put home the game-winner.

Widener sophomore goalkeeper Marty Squicciarini made six saves to earn the hard-fought victory; Preston Stokes made one stop for the Kings Point Mariners.

In the night cap, Swarthmore (1-0) came out firing and did not let up through a first half which saw them take a staggering 23 shots. Junior forward Ladule Lako Lo Sarah got the Garnet on the board just 6:03 into the contest, taking control of the ball 10 yards out, spinning, and firing it into the near corner of the net. The junior nearly added a second tally a few minutes later, but his attempt found the crossbar. Lo Sarah displayed impressive aggressiveness throughout the half and finished with five shots.

The Garnet continued to pelt Aggie goalkeeper Nick D'Amato with attempts. Senior Andrew Macurdy played some of the finest 45 minutes of his collegiate soccer career, battling hard in the midfield and nearly scoring on two occasions. Juniors Evan Nesterak, Stu Leon, and Yoi Tibbetts also got off to fast starts, controlling play in the offensive zone and combining for six shots.

With 10:58 on the clock, Garnet freshman Toby Resch entered the game, and with 10:32 showing, Resch was celebrating his first collegiate goal. The freshman took control of a blocked Lo Sarah shot and wasted no time in firing the ball home from 15 yards out. Garnet senior netminder Ryan Sutcliffe had no trouble with his only save attempt of the half, and the Garnet went into the break with a 2-0 advantage.

Swarthmore kept up the intensity in the second half, wore down the Aggie defense, and found the net eight more times. Lo Sarah notched his second tally 11 minutes into the half off of a spectacular sliding feed from senior captain Pat Christmas. 13 more minutes passed before the Garnet reeled off seven goals in 11:09. Freire scored three times to earn his first collegiate hat trick, and freshman Morgan Langley had two goals and two assists. Tibbetts and freshman Philippe Celestin added a goal each, and Leon assisted on a pair of goals.

Garnet sophomore Zach Weimar played the first 34:54 of the period in net, making one stop, and junior Jason Thrope did not to make a save over the final 10:06. Swarthmore finished with a 44-3 shot advantage and a 7-0 edge in corner kicks. D'Amato made eight saves in net for the Aggies (0-1).

The 10 goals scored matches the all-time single-game Swarthmore record, equaling three other 10-goal performances, the last of which came vs. Ursinus in 1951. Swarthmore's last 10-goal winning margin came against the same Bears in 1950.

Swarthmore will look to keep up the intensity in tomorrow's 3:00 p.m. match against the Kings Point Mariners. Following the Swarthmore-USMMA match, Widener will take on Delaware Valley in the Garnet Classic finale.

SWARTHMORE/CATHOLIC BOX
VILLA JULIE/NEUMANN BOX

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Garnet freshman forward Kelsey Cline (Camano Island, Wash. / Stanwood) scored her first career goal as the Swarthmore women's soccer team won its 12th consecutive season opener, downing Catholic 1-0 in the first day of competition at the 12th annual Swat Kick Classic. Villa Julie captured the second game, defeating Neumann 2-1.

The young Garnet team, starting five first-years, were the aggressors from the on-set almost putting in goal on the opening kick-off. Cline, a first-half substitution, remained in the game at the start of the second stanza. The freshman forward accepted a through-ball from classmate Megan Colombo (Arcadia, Calif. / Arcadia) at the top of the Cardinals' box. Cline beat the charging Catholic goalkeeper Tere Rossi (Annandale, Va. / Falls Church) to the ball and chipped it into the right panel for her first career goal at 48:05.

The Garnet (1-0) out-shot the Cardinals13-5, limiting the visitors to one shot on goal. Swarthmore goalie Lauren Walker '09 (Fallston, Mary. / The Hotchkiss School) made one stop for her 10th career shut-out, while her counterpart Rossi tallied three saves for Catholic (1-0). Walker consistently stepped out of the goal box to clear a number of shots coming her way.

The Mustangs of Villa Julie (1-0) got a goal and an assist from senior midfielder Tonia Cristino (Lancaster, Pa. / Hempfield) while classmate Rose Phelan (Loch Raven, Mary. / Loch Raven) added a score of her own. Late in the first half, Cristino crossed a long ball to Phelan trapped the ball and knocked the ball into the net. Cristino's goal at 49:35 was a crisp chip over the Neumann defense.

Knights forward Casey Geary (Ocean City, N.J. / Ocean City) had seven of the eleven shots on goal for Neumann (0-1). With a left-footed blast that sailed into the back of the net, Geary posted her first goal of the season at 83:32.

Villa Julie netminder Casey Brown (Poolesville, MD / Poolesville) recorded six stops while Neumann junior goaltender Elizabeth Raiburn (Wallingford, Pa. / Strath Haven) made 11 saves.

Swarthmore will face Neumann on Sunday, Sept.2 at 12:00 p.m.-Catholic faces Villa Julie in the first contest, set for 10:00 a.m.

Recently awarded as one of the 58 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic teams in NCAA Division III, the nationally-ranked Swarthmore women's tennis program had six individuals recognized. Waverly Lutz '07, Marissa Matthews '07, Jamie Midyette '08, Sara Sargent '07, Federica von Euw '07 and Rachel Wallwork '10 all were the appointed as ITA Scholar Athletes.

 The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). In order to attain ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a student-athlete must be a varsity letter winner and have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year.

Sargent teamed with classmate Sonya Reynolds '07 to earn All-America honors in doubles' tennis, posting a 15-9 record in 2006-07. Sargent and Reynolds, who were nationally ranked at number 24, became the first Swarthmore doubles pair to be named All-America. The doubles team also received All-Centennial First Team honors after posting a 4-1 mark in 2007.

Lutz and Sargent were both selected for the 2007 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area women's tennis team. Lutz accumulated a singles' record of 9-10 (7-0 in Centennial) this past season and 16-6 in doubles' play.

Swarthmore (13-7) was ranked 18th nationally and seventh in the Atlantic South Region in the final FILA ITA rankings.

The Swarthmore men's tennis team was recently recognized as one of 37 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic teams in NCAA Division III. Three Garnet tennis players were appointed to the All-Academic Team: Shingo Murata '07, Jonathan Reiss '07 and Sam Sidhu '07.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). In order to attain ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a student-athlete must be a varsity letter winner and have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year.

Swarthmore completed the 2006-07 season ranked 26th nationally in the FILA ITA rankings, and was seventh in the Atlantic South Region. The Garnet men posted a record of 7-10 and made their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance in 31 seasons, advancing to the second round before falling to eventual finalist Emory (Ga.).

Reiss became the 52nd Swarthmore men's tennis player to be named All-America in 2006-07, posting a record of 12-8. Reiss made his second trip to the Division III National Singles' Championship, advancing to the second round. He concluded the season as the 16th ranked men's tennis player in Division III.

Murata posted a singles' record of 3-5 in 2006-07 and while Sidhu added a 1-3 mark with a 2-10 effort in doubles' play for Swarthmore.

10 new faces are joining the Garnet women's soccer team this fall. Below is some brief information on each of the new players.

Laura Bolger (Centerport, N.Y. / Harborfields)
Playing on the Albertson Fury Club team Laura's team became league champions. The NY Premier Club Soccer team became champions in the Orange Classic tournament. Honored as a two time captain of her high school team, Laura was a four time varsity letter winner. Twice named All-State and All-County team, this defensive player constistatly was a strong presence in the backfield. After the conclusion of her high school soccer career Laura's number was retired.

Kelsey Cline (Camano Island, Wash. / Stanwood)
Kelsey was a four-time Most Valuable Player for her high school squad. Twice named to the first team All-league team. Off the field this four-year letter winner and team MVP was honored as the valedictorian. This striker appearing three times in the Washington Club Premier State Championships with the Fusion club team.

Megan Colombo (Arcadia, Calif. / Arcadia)
The forward and outside midfielder played four years on her varsity soccer team. Named to the All-League three times Megan also played on the FC Barcelona club team. The premier striker led team in scoring at Nationals. Playing in the CA Premier Club Soccer league, the team was a National Cup Semi-finalist as well as Surf Club Champions.

Zoe Hendrickson (Strafford, N.H. / Coe-Brown Northwood Academy)
Earning All-State team honorable mention, Zoe was a three-year varsity starter. She received the Most Outstanding Contribution in soccer, basketball and softball. This season we will be seeing Hendrickson on defensive side of the field.

Amy Langdon (Indianapolis, Ind. / Lawrence North)
Playing for the FC Pride, Amy was an All-State Top Team Player Award Winner. This varsity letter award winner was also a member of the All-North Indiana Girl's soccer club. Hoping to make some noise as a striker, we look forward to seeing what this first-year player has to offer to her class.

Liz Mills (San Diego, Calif. / The Bishop's School)
Liz received a First Team All-League ranking as a senior and junior; she was a four-year started for her varsity team. Working their way to the top, the team became the CA CIF Champions. As a member of the Rancho Sante Fe Attack club team in the CA Premier Club Soccer league, with a tough defense Mills led her backfield and will be a solid addition to the Garnet.

Kirsten Peterson (Fenton, Mich. / Powers Catholic)
Making a four-time selection on the All-State Team for Michigan, Kirsten also worked hard off the field earning the recognition as Power Catholic's salutatorian. As a four year team captain Peterson led her team to the high school State Finals. Her club team, Tri-County Shooting Stars, were the Michigan Premier Club Soccer Champions.

Hannah Purkey (Palo Alto, Calif. / Palo Alto)
Ranked in the state of California at number four, MVLA Menance, Purkey's club team, has made major waves in the soccer community. This three-year varsity starter earned a spot on the All-League club team after becoming a league champion. In the CYSA North State Cup the team finished in the Semi-Final round.

Sara Reece (Manhattan Beach, Calif. / Mira Costa)
The fourth newcomer from California, this Bay League Defensive Player of the Year was a four time soccer letter winner. While starting with the West Coast Futbol Club she was twice named All-Area First Team. As a Cal South National State Cup Champion, Sara led her team from as the center midfielder. In the Super Y-League North American Champions she was awarded the Championship Tournament's Most Valuable Player. Winning the SoCal Premier Club Champions game, Reece aided her team's defense who recorded 18 shutouts.

Amy Vachal (Somerset, N.J. / Rutgers Prep)
This Jersey Knights Excalibur striker is a hard one to stop; the club reached NJ Club Soccer State Cup Finals. Amy was twice named to the New Jersey High School All-State team. As a NJ HS State Champion member Amy was named the Cup's Most Valuable Player.