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BY CONOR CASEY

In print | October 4, 2007

The game could have been called after three minutes. Three minutes was all Swarthmore needed Saturday when the undefeated women’s soccer team (7-0, 3-0 CC) took down the McDaniel College Green Terror (1-8, 1-2 CC) in Westminster, Md. 1-0, with Danielle Tocchet ’08 scoring the lone goal of the game for either team under two and a half minutes in.

In defeating McDaniel, Swarthmore improved its national ranking to number 18 overall, according to the National Soccer Coaches of America web site (www.nscaa.com).

The Garnet’s ranking has risen steadily over the last three weeks in the weekly-issued poll. The Garnet went from being unranked to number 23 in the nation two weeks ago, then to number 19 overall last week. The women have only played one game since then, but nevertheless have succeeded in moving up yet another spot in the Adidas-sponsored poll.

It was not so much its defeat of a team with a .111 winning percentage by a one-goal margin that earned the Garnet a better ranking this week than last week, but the way in which it earned the victory. In Swarthmore’s win over McDaniel, the women showed an ability to dominate the flow of the game that has been characteristic of many of their wins this season.

In the game, Swarthmore out-shot McDaniel 23-2. On the season, the team has out-shot opponents 152-33. McDaniel goalie Leanne Hollinger managed to keep the Garnet damage to one goal, as she saved 13 shots on goal in the process. Garnet goalkeeper Lauren Walker ’09, meanwhile, only had to make two saves, keeping with her average of 2.28 saves per game.

Besides Tocchet, other Garnet contributors who put the pressure on the Green Terror on Saturday included Katie Kanuka ‘10, who played all 90 minutes and got off five shots on goal in her second game back from an injury that had her sidelined for the first five matches of the year, and Caitlin O’Neil ’10, who came off the bench and was responsible for two shots on goal.

And although the dominance exhibited on Saturday has been characteristic of Swarthmore’s play this year, according to O’Neil the team is only getting better.

“We’re working out the kinks,” she said. “We’re learning how to keep up the intensity level, and how to start the game off strong and play our style from the beginning.”

One of those kinks, said O’Neal, is the ability to finish plays.

“We’re good at getting opportunities in front of the goal, but we’ve had trouble finishing.”

Swarthmore’s 7-0 start to this season has been a result of the hard work put in by players over the last two seasons, according to Coach Todd Anckaitis.

“Since I came in as coach, we’ve been able to put some core things in place, and the team has taken positives from previous seasons and made them the fabrics of the team.”

Anckaitis was particularly proud of how players this year have built on mistakes. “It’s great because we even have first-years who have utilized past high school or club situations,” he said.

The Garnet faced Johns Hopkins University at home last night in a game too late for publication. The game has been much anticipated by Garnet players, as the Blue Jays are likely to be its biggest challenge in the regular season. The Jays, who are 2-1 in conference play after suffering a defeat last week at the hands of Haverford College, are the defending Centennial Conference Champions, having beaten Swarthmore in the conference championships last year.

“We’re approaching the game with confidence,” Walker said yesterday, a few hours prior to the match. “We just want to stay focused, and play the way we know we can.”

For the Garnet the rest of the way, every victory could mean a higher ranking, and a chance to take Swarthmore soccer where it has not been before.

The Garnet will look to continue its streak with conference matches this Saturday at Bryn Mawr College, and next Wednesday at Muhlenberg College, before finally returning home for a match the following Wednesday against Ursinus College at 5 p.m.

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