Athletics News

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SWARTHMORE, Pa. -  Swarthmore senior captain Erica George had a team-high 20 kills and sophomore outside hitter Jen Wang added 15 kills as the Garnet outlasted Gwynedd-Mercy 3-2 (30-28, 32-34, 30-27, 28-30, 15-7) in non-conference volleyball action in Tarble Pavilion on Friday night.

The first home opener victory for Swarthmore (3-2) in two years, the Garnet went up 25-21 in the first game to force a Griffins' timeout.  GMC re-acted by claiming six of the next seven points and Swarthmore took a time-out of their own.  The Griffins pushed the advantage to 28-26 before the Garnet came alive and ran off four straight points to win the first game.

Game two was a marathon ordeal with George racking up eight kills for Swarthmore.  Gwynedd-Mercy's senior middle hitter Hillary Tubbs closed the game in the Griffins' favor with a kill and then backed it up with a big block to even the score at one game apiece.

Swarthmore held a 22-19 lead in the third game but GMC came back to knot the score at 25-25 with five straight points.  The Garnet took a time-out and junior middle blocker Karen Berk put away a kill and stuffed a Griffins' attempt to give Swarthmore control of the game.  Garnet freshman outside hitter Johanna Bond closed out the game with an ace to make it 30-27 in Swarthmore's favor.

GMC sent the match to a decisive fifth game by winning three of the final four points of game four.  Tubbs and setter Kandace Pickeral combined for a big block on the next to last point.

Game five started with the Griffins racing to 6-2 lead as three consecutive Swarthmore attacks sailed deep.  The Garnet got on track, led by junior right side Vanessa Wells, and assumed an 8-6 lead.  After the Griffins took a point to make it 8-7, Swarthmore rolled off seven straight point, three coming off service aces by Bond, to win the deciding game 15-7.

Swarthmore freshman setter Kearney Bangs tallied a career-high 54 assists while Bond totaled six aces on the night.  Junior middle blocker Katherine Gold and Berk chipped in four blocks apiece.  Berk now has 239 blocks in her career, breaking the school record held by Natalie Dunphy '05 (237). 

The Garnet travel to Rutgers-Newark tomorrow afternoon for a 1:00 p.m. match - Swarthmore will return home on Tuesday, Sept. 12 to open Centennial Conference action against the Ursinus Bears at 7:00 p.m.

GAME BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore junior forward Abigail Fischer netted two goals to lead the Garnet (2-0) to a 2-1 victory over visiting Widener in a non-conference field hockey action at Clothier Field on Thursday afternoon.

The Pioneers got on the board first when junior forward Jamie Carr won the scramble in front of the net, pushing the ball into the open goal mouth at the 23:43 mark.  It is Carr's third goal of the season and the 17th of her career.

Swarthmore evened things up in the 33rd minute.  Senior forward Lindsay Roth cracked a low shot that was deflected by Widener goalie Kate Heritage.  The ball caromed right to junior forward Abigail Fischer, who snapped home the rebound at 32:52 for her second goal of the season.

Fischer struck again in the early stages of the second half.  Roth sent a hard shot towards the front of the goal, and Fischer tipped the ball up and over the shoulder of Heritage to give Swarthmore a 2-1lead at 46:38.  Fischer leads the team with three goals on the season.

The Garnet out-shot the Pioneers 18-11 for the game, and took eight corners to Widener's four.

Swarthmore senior goalie Melissa LaVan made six saves in goal while counterpart Heritage collected 11 stops.

Swarthmore returns to Clothier Field for their next game, a 4:00 p.m. match-up against the College of Notre Dame (MD) on Saturday, Sept. 9.  The game was originally slated to be played in Maryland, yet is now a home contest for the Garnet.

GAME BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Arcadia senior forward Zach Askin had goal and an assist, leading the visiting Knights to a 2-0 victory at Swarthmore on Wednesday in non-conference soccer action at Clothier Stadium.

Originally slated to be played at Arcadia University, the match was moved due to poor field conditions.  Swarthmore plays its home contests on an all-purpose NextTurf, allowing the opportunity for the match to be played on a stable surface.

Arcadia (1-1) was the aggressor through much of the opening 45 minutes, outshooting the Garnet 8-3.  The Knights got on the board in the 22nd minute, when Askin sent a long corner kick to the far post.  Arcadia junior defender Andrew Plunkett never gave up on the play, sending a header into the back of the net at 21:57. 

The Knights held the 1-0 lead into the intermission, and shortly thereafter added an insurance goal.  A long service by the Knights got past charging Swarthmore goalkeeper Ryan Sutcliffe '08, and Askin ran onto the ball, touching it into the net at 48:50.

Arcadia (1-1) enjoyed an 18-9 advantage in the shot category and attempted five corner kicks to Swarthmore's two.

Sutcliffe made one save for the Garnet in almost 54 minutes while freshman netminder Zach Weimar registered five stops in 36 minutes.  Knights' goalkeeper Jeff Kratohwill made three saves for his first shutout of the young season.

Swarthmore travels to Vassar on Saturday, Sept. 9 for its next match, set to start at 2:00 p.m.

D3Kicks.com Team of the Week

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore freshman forward Katie Kanuka (Oakville, Ontario, Canada / Holy Trinity Catholic) was named to the first-ever D3Kicks.com Team of the Week on Sept. 5.

D3Kicks.com, a brand-new web site, launched its first ever team of the week. The team of the week selections are based on nominations from coaches and sports information directors across the country.

Kanuka earned All-Tournament status after scoring her second game-winning goal in just her second career game, this one coming in the 84th minute, as Swarthmore (2-0) defeated William Paterson 2-1 at the 11th annual Swat Kick Classic on Sept. 3.

Kanuka, who had three goals in two games, put home the game-winner against Centenary on Saturday, Sept. 2 at the 69:44 mark to send the Garnet to a 1-0 victory.

Swarthmore has not lost their season opener in 11 years, dating back to 1996.

LANCASTER, Pa. - Swarthmore senior goalie Karen Lorang (San Diego, CA / University HS) was named Centennial Conferece Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5

Lorang, an economics major, made eight saves stopped eight shots through regulation and two overtimes, and then turned away three penalty strokes to lead Swarthmore to a 2-1 victory over visiting Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 3.  Lorang blanked the Marlins in the final 70 minutes of action, including three saves in the second overtime period, and then excelled in the penalty stroke tie-breaker, stopping three consecutive VWC attempts to secure the victory.

Lorang was a second team All-Centennial selection in 2005, making 81 saves in goal for the Garnet.  Lorang was also selected for the 2005 Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NHFCA) Division III All-Academic Squad.

Lorang, a senior captain, is involved in many facets of Swarthmore College: she is a Resident Advisor, assists fellow students as a Writing Associate, serves as the Student Groups Advisor on the Student Council, and is a teaching assistant in the Dept. of Economics.

Swarthmore is 1-0 overall and will host Widener on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 5:00 p.m.

LANCASTER, Pa. - Swarthmore junior goalkeeper Ryan Sutcliffe (Milford, DE / Milford) was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5.

Sutcliffe, a psychology major, was selected for the Garnet Alumni Classic All-Tournament team after playing almost 145 minutes in goal with allowing a score.  Sutcliffe made one save in 45 minutes as Swarthmore defeated Delaware Valley 8-1 on Sept. 2, and then registered eight saves in a 1-0 overtime Garnet victory over Eastern on Sept. 3.  It was the first career shutout for Sutcliffe.

Swarthmore won the Garnet Alumni Classic championship tropy for the third consecutive year and now holds an overall record of 2-0.

SWARTHMORE BOX SCORE
DICKINSON/CENTENARY BOX SCORE
OFFICIAL RELEASE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Garnet freshman forward Katie Kanuka scored her second game-winning goal in her second career game, this one coming in the 84th minute, as Swarthmore women's soccer defeated William Paterson 2-1 in the Swat Kick Classic on Sunday afternoon at Clothier Stadium. 

Dickinson (2-0) got a pair of goals from senior midfielder Lisa Nichols on the way to a 3-0 victory over Centenary (0-2) in the final game of the 11th annual Kick Classic.

Kanuka put her unique skills on display again, scoring the first goal of the game in the 29th minute.  Garnet freshman midfielder Maggie DeLorme headed a long ball through to a streaking Kanuka who outraced one defender and struck the ball past William Paterson goalkeeper Caitlin Kiernan for a 1-0 lead. 

The Pioneers knotted the score on a penalty kick at the 56:29 mark; sophomore midfielder Amanda Kurdyla converted the chance for William Paterson.

Thoughts of overtime began to creep around Clothier Field but the young Garnet would have none of it.  Sophomore back Alexa Bensimhon played a long ball over the midfield and it was Kanuka with the first touch.  The freshman forward separated from the Pioneers' backline and easily beat Kiernan for the game-winner at 85:18.  It is the third goal of the season for Kanuka, a team-high.

The Swarthmore defense put on another stingy display during the Kick Classic, led by Garnet sophomore goaltender Lauren Walker who allowed only one goal in two games in 180 minutes of play while making four saves.

Swarthmore will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 9 against Widener University right here at Clothier Field at 7:00 p.m.

GAME BOX SCORE
OFFICIAL RELEASE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Sophomore striker Stu Leon (pictured) banged home a rebound with 45 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, giving the Swarthmore Garnet a 1-0 victory over the Eastern Eagles and their third straight Garnet Alumni Classic tournament title on a mercifully dry Sunday afternoon.

Early action was plagued by frequent whistle-blowing as both teams strove to assert themselves physically; the teams would wind up combining for 50 fouls.  The Garnet suffered a blow when midfielder Michael Bonesteel '08 was sent off with a red card after getting tangled up with an Eastern defender in the 18th minute.  With the extra man, Eagles built an 8-3 first-half advantage in shots, yet were unable to take advantage.

With the Eagles blanketing Leon with multiple defenders throughout regulation, Swarthmore had minimal chances to score, and the game remained scoreless.  The match was returned to even strength when Eastern's Kieran Keelan also drew a red card late in the second half.

Swarthmore's best scoring opportunity came with just a few minutes to play in regulation, when Leon and freshman forward Andres Freire had a two-on-one opportunity.  Leon put the ball onto Freire's head, but the attempt was pushed wide by the Eagles' goalkeeper Mike Dorsch.

The Garnet controlled the ball for much of the extra session, denying the visitors even a single shot.  It looked like the match was headed for a second extra session when with around twenty seconds to play, Friere received the ball in front of the Eastern net.  Friere got off a quick shot, which was turned away by Dorsch, but Leon corralled the rebound and lined the ball home for the game-winner.

It was Leon's second goal in as many games, tying him for the team-high with senior forward Colton Bangs.

Garnet goaltender Ryan Sutcliffe '08 made eight saves for the Garnet for his first career 90-minute shutout.  The junior has yet to allow a goal during the young regular season and earned all-tournament honors.

Joining Sutcliffe on the all-tourney squad were Leon, Grady, midfielder Patrick Christmas '08, and defender Jeff Kushner '09.  Four Eastern players were named to the squad.

Widener defeated Delaware Valley 4-2 later in the afternoon at Widener's Quick Stadium to wrap up the tournament. (Read more...)

GAME BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Garnet (1-0) opened the 2006 season with a marathon victory over the the visiting  Virginia Wesleyan Marlins, the pre-season number one team in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.  Swarthmore and Virginia Wesleyan played through two overtimes to a 1-1 score and then squared off in penalty strokes, with the Garnet prevailing 3-2. 

The Marlins (0-1) took the early lead, getting a goal from Megan May at 29:55.  May took a offering from Molley Marchwiki 15 yards out and put the ball on net.  Garnet goalie Karen Lorang '07 let the ball past her into the cage, seemingly thinking May was outside the allowable scoring distance.  The officials allowed the goal to stand and VWC took the 1-0 advantage into halftime.

The Marlins held a 7-2 shot advantage in the first 35 minutes and took seven penalty corners while the Garnet attempted none.

Swarthmore entered the second half with a surge, evening the score when forward Abigail Fischer '08 deflected home a blast by midfielder and senior captain Summer Spicer just under three minutes in.   The goal came off a penalty corner, with Spicer receiving the ball at the top of the circle and uncorking one of her trademark rockets that Fischer deftly re-directed past Marlins goalie Kate Shelly at 37:58.

The two teams remained knotted at the end of regulation and the battle of wills last through two 15-minute sudden death overtime periods (overtime periods are played with only six field players and one goalie from each team). 

With only an hour and a half until Labor Day 2006, the Garnet and the Marlins began a series of penalty strokes on the south end of Clothier Stadium.  Virginia Wesleyan coverted their first attempt while Swarthmore came up empty.  Lorang stopped three of the next Marlin attempts and Ashley Gunter '09, Fischer, and senior captain Julie Monaghan converted three consecutive penalty strokes to end the contest in Swarthmore's favor.

Lorang, also a Garnet captain, and Shelly each collected eight saves on the evening as the Marlins out-shot Swarthmore 19-14.

Swarthmore returns to Clothier Field on Thursday, Sept. 7, facing off with neighbor Widener University at 5:00 p.m.

SWARTHMORE/CENTENARY BOX SCORE
DICKINSON/ WPU BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore freshman forward Katie Kanuka (Oakville, Ontario, Canada / Holy Trinity Catholic) scored in the 70th minute, sending the Garnet to a 1-0 victory over Centenary in the opening game of the 11th annual Swat Kick Classic on a wet Saturday evening.

Swarthmore has not lost their season opener in 11 years, dating back to 1996.

Swarthmore controlled play through much of the first half out-shooting the Cyclones 6-3 and taking four corners to Centenary's two.

The lone score came as Swarthmore pinned the Cyclones deep in their own end.  Senior forward Natalie Negrey (Harrisburg, PA / Lower Dauphin) took a throw-in at her feet and crossed the ball into the middle of the box.  Kanuka came ran up the middle of the box, beat the Centenary defender and the Cyclones goalkeeper Coree Reuter to the ball.   The freshman touched the ball just past the charging Reuter and into the net for for a 1-0 Garnet lead. 

The Garnet out-shot Centenary, 14-5, for the game while eight more corner kicks (10-2).

Swarthmore goalkeeper Lauren Walker '09 (Fallston, MD / The Hotchkiss School) made one stop while the Cyclones' Reuter made eight saves.

The Garnet will take to Clothier Field on Sunday afternoon at 5:00 p.m., facing William Paterson in the final game of the Swat Kick Classic.

Red Devils Bounce Past Pioneers

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Dickinson freshman midfielder Christy Arndt (Boyds, MD / Connelly School of the Holy Child) scored the game-winning goal with under two minutes left, sending the Red Devils to a 2-1 victory over William Paterson on a wet Saturday evening at the Swat Kick Classic.

With the score knotted 1-1 and both teams pressing in the waning moments of regulation, Arndt booted a long arching ball from the midfield stripe towards the Pioneers' net.  William Paterson goalkeeper Caitlin Kiernan (came out to play the ball, which took a large bounce over her head and trickled into the net at 88:06.

The Red Devils opened the scoring as senior midfielder Lisa Nichols (North Granby, CT / Granby Memorial) outraced the Pioneers' defense down the left side, drew Kiernan out of the goalmouth and set the ball back for sophomore forward Sarah Casey (Severna Park, MD / Archbishop Spalding), who put it in the empty net for a 1-0 lead at the 15:46 mark.

The Pioneers evened the score five minutes later with a little bit of their own luck.  Dickinson goalkeeper Ashley Damewood (Kingston, MA / Silver Lake Regional) slipped on the wet turf when attempting to collect a wayward Pioneers' pass.  The ball escaped her reach and fell to the feet of Pioneers' senior forward Melissa Boka (Hamilton, NJ / Steinert).  Boka controlled the ball and softly crossed it to teammate Amanda Kurdyla (Denville, NJ / Morris Knolls), who tapped the ball in the open net to tie the score 1-1 at 21:18.

Damewood made five saves in goal for Dickinson while Kiernan collected four stops for William Paterson.

The Red Devils (1-0) out-shot the Pioneers 13-7 while William Paterson held a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

In the final day of the Swat Kick Classic, Dickinson will take on Centenary on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.