Athletics News

The Widener Pioneers rallied back, down two games to none, to end the Garnet four-game winning streak, defeating Swarthmore 3-2 on Wednesday evening in Tarble Pavilion.

The Garnet (4-1) won the first game 30-22 behind an aggressive offensive attack that produced 19 kills. The Swarthmore women followed up with a tough second game, squeaking out a 30-28 victory to take a 2-0 lead.

The Pioneers responded by outplaying the Garnet in the third game, rolling to a 30-14 win and then outlasted Swarthmore in game four, winning 31-29. Widener (5-0) captured the fifth and decisive game 15-10 to remain undefeated.

Swarthmore outside hitters Erica George '07 (19 kills, 21 digs) and Jennifer Wang '08 (12 kills, 14 digs) both registered double-doubles while middle blocker Karen Berk '08 contributed a team-high five blocks. Freshman Erin Heaney had a team-high 22 digs while senior setter Emily Conlon paced the offense with 50 assists.

For their next match, Swarthmore will travel to the University of Sciences on Thursday, September 15 for a 7:30 p.m. match.

Box Score

Anna de Regt '09 scored her first career goal in the first half, and the Garnet never looked back, defeating Rutgers-Newark 4-0 on Wednesday night at Clothier Field.

Midway through the first half, senior midfielder Sarah Hobbs dribbled the ball to the baseline and sent a beautiful pass across the box where de Regt was all alone. The freshman midfielder calmly inserted the ball into the net at 16:04 for a 1-0 lead.

Swarthmore continued to press, out shooting the Scarlet Knights (1-1-1) 8-2 in the first half. Forward Danielle Tocchet '08 scored her second goal of the season at 30:03, and junior Natalie Negrey made it 3-0 at 38:21 with her first goal of 2005.

The final score for Swarthmore came in the 70th minute when freshman Melinda Petre chased down a long pass and touched it past the Newark keeper for the 4-0 lead. It was the first collegiate goal for Petre.

Lauren Walker '09 and Kristen Traband '08 each had a save in goal for Swarthmore (2-1-1).

The Garnet will travel south on Rt. 320 for their next game, participating in the annual Widener Classic. Swarthmore will play York College at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday in their first-round match.

Freshman Evan Nesterak scored two goals to send the Garnet to their third consecutive victory, a 3-0 decision over Moravian (2-2) on Wednesday night at Clothier Field.

Swarthmore (3-0) learned yesterday that they had been ranked 10th in the NSCAA/adidas Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings, and came out on Wednesday night playing like they had more to prove.

The Garnet spent much of the game planted in front of the Greyhound goal, out shooting Moravian 23-6 in the process.

Swarthmore finally broke through in the 34th minute; midfielder Patrick Christmas '08 uncorked a shot that was knocked away by Greyhound keeper Kyle Keller. Nesterak kept moving on the play, putting the rebound into the back of the net for his first career goal.

The Garnet kept coming at Keller in the second half, and the Greyhounds suffered a bit of bad luck as a Moravian defender, in an attempt to clear a Swarthmore cross, indirectly headed the ball into his own goal.

Nesterak capped off the banner evening with his second goal at the 76:45 mark. Defender Jason Thorpe '09 lofted a cross into the middle of the Moravian box and Nesterak climbed up the ladder to place a perfect header into the right corner of the goal.

Senior keeper Reuben Heyman-Kantor made a pair of saves for his first shut out of the season, while Keller made six saves in the losing effort.

Swarthmore will look to extend their winning streak on Saturday, September 10, when they host Vassar College at 7:00 p.m.

Widener midfielder Nicole Jones scored the only goal in the 1-0 Pioneer victory at Swarthmore in the championship game of the Swarthmore Kick Classic on Sunday afternoon.  Widener improved to 2-0 on the season, while the Garnet fell to 1-1-1.

In the consolation game, Earlham (IN) defeated Alvernia 2-1 in double overtime, led by a pair of goals from Quaker forward Hillary Carter.  The Quakers evened their record at 1-1, while the Crusaders slipped to 0-3.

Pioneer forward Melanie Miller squeezed off a shot that got deflected by freshman Garnet goalkeeper Lauren Walker.  The ball exited the box and landed at the feet of Jones, who dropped the ball over Walker and into the back of the net at 75:56.

Widener goalkeeper Betsy Shoustal made three saves for the shutout, while Walker posted ten saves in the loss.

The Garnet return to Clothier Field at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, matching up with Rutgers-Newark.

All Tournament Team

F - Hillary Carter  - Earlham                                  F - Danielle Tocchet '08 - Swarthmore
M - Amanda Wilson - Widener                              M - Olympia Diamond - Earlham                           M - Liz Gallagher - Alvernia                                   M - Nicole Jones - Widener                                   M - Lauren Hartman - Widener                              D - Megan Donato - Widener
D - Ashley Reyer - Earlham                                  D - Caitlin Mullarkey '09 - Swarthmore
G - Lauren Walker '09 - Swarthmore

Senior forward Andrew Terker '06 came through for Swarthmore once again, scoring the game-winning goal in the second overtime to lift the Garnet to a 2-1 victory over Scranton in the Garnet Alumni Classic on Sunday afternoon.  The win clinched the second consecutive Classic title for Swarthmore.

In earlier action, Widener (1-1) defeated Earlham (Ind.) 1-0, in overtime, courtesy of a Ryan Sullivan goal in the 95th minute.

Scranton put up the first goal 12 minutes into the game, establishing control of the game early.  Freshman defender Gary Racich found himself all alone in the far left corner and calmly lofted a cross over the center of the Garnet goalmouth.  Forward Kyle Falana got excellent position on a Swarthmore defender and headed the ball into the net for a 1-0 Royal lead.

The score stayed that way until the 65th minute, when freshman forward Stu Leon headed in a Darren Johnson cross to knot the score at one goal a side.  

The previous two meetings between Swarthmore and Scranton ended without a clear winner.  In 2003, the Garnet escaped Scranton with a 1-1 overtime draw in hand, and last season the Royals left Swarthmore with a 0-0 double overtime tie.  Sunday's contest had a similar feeling to it.

Terker, the owner of four game-wining goals in 2004, re-entered the game at 68:39 with only one thought in mind-put the ball in the net.  The 2004 All-Centennial performer tried several times to find an opening, finally getting a clear look three and a half minutes into the second extra session.  Terker ­corralled a long pass on the left flank, and then lofted the ball over the outstretched arm of Royal keeper David Keib into the top right corner for the championship.

Garnet senior keeper Reuben Heyman-Kantor made five saves in goal as Swarthmore improved their record to 2-0 on the season.  Keib registered five saves as Scranton dropped to 1-1.

The Garnet captains, upon accepting the Alumni Classic championship trophy, presented the plaque to the family of the late Tariq Fischer '08 who took in Sunday's match.

Swarthmore will host Moravian in their next game, an 8:00 p.m. match on Clothier Field this coming Wednesday.

Swarthmore Box
Earlham/Widener Box

   All Tournament Team

F - Andrew Terker -Swarthmore
F - Tim Logan - Scranton
F - Stu Leon - Swarthmore
M - Atiq Zamani - Earlham
M - Patrick Christmas - Swarthmore
M - Ryan Sullivan - Widener
D - John Musser - Widener
D - Gary Racich - Scranton
D - Alex Elkins - Swarthmore
D - Brendan Grady - Swarthmore
D - David Hibber-Rode - Earlham
G - David Keib - Scranton

Erica George '07 and Jen Wang '09 were named to the All-Tournament team as the Swarthmore volleyball team won the championship trophy at the third annual Greyhound Premiere Invitational at Moravian College on Saturday afternoon.

The Garnet need only three games in each match to dismantle Muhlenberg College and Alvernia College on their way to a 4-0 weekend.

In their morning match, Swarthmore downed Centennial foe Muhlenberg 30-21, 30-27, and 30-27. Wang led the way with 11 kills, 13 digs, and four aces, while classmate Erin Heaney added 13 digs of her own. Emily Conlon '06 put the offensive attack in motion, collecting 28 assists while middle blocker Karen Berk '08 posted a team-high five stuffs.

The Garnet (4-0) faced Alvernia in the afternoon match, wasting little time in dismantling the Crusaders by scores of 30-20, 30-19, and 30-26. Wang and Katie Gold '08 had eight kills apiece, while Wang topped Swarthmore with 20 digs. Conlon set the table once again, tallying 28 assists.

In an impressive display of skill, Swarthmore committed only six receiving errors while accumulating 137 digs in six games on Saturday.

The last time the Garnet started a season this hot was the 2001 season when Swarthmore began the year with a 4-0 record.

Be sure to make the trip to Tarble Pavilion when Swarthmore women make their 2005 home debut on Wednesday night, entertaining Widener College at 7:00 p.m.

 Danielle Tocchet '08 scored with 34 seconds remaining in the second overtime, sending Swarthmore to a 1-0 victory over Earlham College in first round action of the Swarthmore Kick Classic on Saturday afternoon.

The victory marks the tenth consecutive year the Garnet have won their home opener, dating back to the 1996 season.

On this day, the Quakers and the Garnet battled through 109 minutes of scoreless action in a physical contest that featured 19 fouls.

Earlham midfielder Hillary Carter got off two solid shots in the first overtime, but was unable to get anything past Garnet freshman keeper Lauren Walker.

With time running down in the second extra period Swarthmore midfielder Anna de Regt '09 settled a long pass at the top of the Quaker box, found a passing lane on the right side, and dropped the ball off to the streaking Tocchet. The Swarthmore forward touched the ball ahead and blasted the game-winner over the shoulder of Earlham goalkeeper Kari Wilder-Romans.

It was the third career goal for Tocchet, and the first career assist for de Regt. Swarthmore ended a scoreless streak that had stretched 317:52, dating back to a Jane Sachs '06 goal against Bryn Mawr in October 2004.

Walker made seven saves in goal for the shutout, while Wilder-Romans made six stops for Earlham (0-1).

The Garnet return to Clothier Field at 12:00 pm on Sunday, squaring off with Widener College in the championship game of the Swarthmore Kick Classic. Widener defeated Alvernia 3-1 earlier on Saturday.

Widener/Alvernia Box Score

The Swarthmore men's soccer team used four second-half goals, including a flying header by Andrew Terker '06, to cruise past Earlham (IN) 4-1 in the Garnet Alumni Classic on Saturday evening.

Earlham got on the board first, firing a flurry of shots at Garnet keeper Reuben Heyman-Kantor '06.  Quaker forward Chris Sloan got free on the left side of the Garnet box and deftly slipped a shot past the Swarthmore goalie.  The ball trickled toward the open net and the crowd of 220 gasped as the ball glanced off the right post.  Earlham's Atiq Zamani quickly pounced on the rebound and Heyman-Kantor was forced to make a defensive save from point-blank range.  Zamani chased down his own rebound and lifted the ball over the keeper's head, where Sloan deposited it in the net via a header.

The Garnet had a great opportunity in the 21st minute when Evan Nesterik got taken down inside the Quaker penalty box.  Brendan Grady took the penalty kick and got the keeper to move off his line, but unfortunately pushed his shot wide left.

Swarthmore kept attacking in the second half, fighting through some physical play by the Quakers.  Alex Elkins '06 lofted a free kick into the Earlham box, and the ball found a leaping Stu Leone '09 who deflected it past the Quaker keeper for his first collegiate goal.

Five minutes later, Swarthmore struck again.  Senior Paul Thibodeau lofted a cross into the center of the box and Ladule Lako La Sarah '09 headed it onto the far wing.  Winger Mat Schiller '07 came streaking in, and in mid-air, volleyed the ball over the out-stretched hands of the Earlham keeper for the 2-1 Swarthmore lead.

A round of nifty passing led to a Colton Bangs '07 goal at the 77:59 mark, and the Garnet put the icing on the cake when Terker dove head first to meet a Yoi Tibbets '09 cross at 89:30 sending the Garnet fans into a prolonged celebration.

The Garnet (1-0) take to the field on Sunday afternoon against the Royals of the University of Scranton. Swarthmore fans should expect a dogfight at tomorrow's 4:00 p.m. game; the last two Scranton/Swarthmore matches have ended in a tie (0-0 in 2004, and 1-1 in 2003).

Scranton defeated Widener 1-0 in the early match at the Garnet Alumni Classic.

Midfielder Summer Spicer '07 had two goals and two assists as Swarthmore scored four second-half goals on their way to a 5-1 victory over Villa Julie on Saturday afternoon.

The Garnet (2-0) were playing in the annual Black-Eyed Susan Tournament, and effectively crashed the party.

Villa Julie scored first, putting a goal past Garnet goalie Karen Lorang '07 at the 18:47 mark.

Swarthmore answered with an Abbie Fischer '08 goal off a penalty corner at 21:55. Spicer was there to control the corner, setting up Fischer's first goal of the 2005 season.

The Garnet penalty corner unit took over the game in the second half, with three more scores coming via the penalty corner. Spicer scored her first goal at 39:32, followed 19 seconds later by an unassisted goal by Julia Morrision '07. Alex Clegg '08 put home a set-up from Spicer at 46:04 and Spicer capped the scoring with her second score off a Clegg set-up.

Swarthmore travels down Route 320 on Thursday afternoon to take on Widener University at 7:00 p.m.

Charlotte MacAusland '06 got the scoring underway in the second minute of the game, re-directing a blast from Fieselman into the right corner of the cage at the 1:48 mark.

Fieselmann pushed the lead to 2-0 with her first goal of the season at the 4:21 mark. Both teams went back and forth for much of the first half before the flood gates opened and more goals filled the scoreboard.

Fieselmann extended the Swarthmore (1-0) lead to 3-0 with her second goal of the game at 21:31, only to see Neumann answer back with two goals of their own in a span of two minutes.

Junior forward Rachel Mease finished off a pass from midfielder Chantelle Knuttel at 23:31, and sophomore Gabriele Bendistis followed with her own goal off a feed from Mease to cut the Garnet lead to 3-2 with just under ten minutes left in the half.

Swarthmore kept Neumann off the board for the remainder of the half, heading into the intermission with a the 3-2 advantage.

Fieselmann got the Garnet train rolling again at the start of the second half, completing her hat trick with a goal at the 37:18 mark. Midfielder Lindsay Roth '07 added an insurance goal at the 53:20 mark to give Swarthmore the final 5-2 margin of victory.

Karen Lorang '07 played the first half and made four saves, while classmate Melissa LaVan took over in the second half and recorded one save. Chelsea Ward made 11 saves in goal for the Knights (0-1).

The opening day victory is the fourth consecutive for the Garnet, dating back to a 1-0 win over Widener in 2002.

Roth was the last Garnet player to tally a hat-trick, accomplishing the feat on Sept. 4, 2004 in a 7-1 Swarthmore win over Goucher.

For their next contest, Swarthmore travels to Villa Julie on Saturday, Sept. 3 for a 12:00 p.m. contest.

Box Score

The Swarthmore volleyball team won a pair of matches on Friday night, defeating DeSales University in five games and then cruising by Frostburg State in three games, earning a spot in the Championship Bracket at the third annual Greyhound Premiere Invitational at Moravian College.

In their opening match the Garnet (2-0) staged a furious rally, down two games to one, winning the decisive fifth game to claim the match by a score of 30-18, 32-34, 27-30, 30-16, 15-10.

Swarthmore turned up the heat in the second match, downing Frostburg 30-11, 32-30, and 30-22.

Its the first time the Garnet have started a season with back-to-back wins since the 2001 season when Swarthmore began the year with a 4-0 record.

The Garnet resume play in the championship bracket tomorrow morning, squaring off with Centennial foe Muhlenberg College at 11:00 a.m. Swarthmore will then turn around and face Alvernia at 1:00 p.m. in their final match of the tournament.

The Swarthmore women makes their 2005 home debut on Wednesday night, entertaining Widener College at 7:00 p.m. in Tarble Pavilion.