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BY CONOR CASEY

In print | November 15, 2007

The women’s soccer team claimed its first ever Eastern College Athletic Conference title Sunday in Grove City, Pa., when it defeated number five seed Catholic University in a shootout, 5-3, after it battled Catholic to a 0-0 tie.

The victory was the third in three games of the ECAC tournament for the third-seeded Garnet, who also beat number six seed Misericordia College 4-0 to open up the tournament at home on Nov. 7, before traveling to Grove City where it finished off second seed Frostburg State University, 3-0.

The championship game on Sunday eerily resembled Swarthmore’s last game before the tournament, the Centennial Conference semifinals that finished in a 0-0 tie to Ursinus College, a game the Garnet eventually lost 5-3 in penalty kicks. In its game against the Catholic Cardinals, the Garnet found themselves once again unable to break through against the opposition. Despite getting off an astounding number of shots in regulation and the two overtime periods, Catholic goalie Tere Rossi and the Cardinals defense stifled all Swarthmore attacks.

“The game seemed destined to go into penalty kicks,” Garnet head coach Todd Anckaitis said. “Their goalkeeper played out of her mind.”

In the tie, Swarthmore out-shot Catholic 30-7, and Rossi made an amazing 13 saves. Comparatively, Garnet goalie Lauren Walker ’09 was required only to make three saves to ensure her side of the shutout.

Looking back on the game, Anckaitis noted the significance of the game being ended on penalty kicks.

“We needed to prove to ourselves that we could come out in that situation,” he said.

Unlike the penalty kick-decided game against Ursinus, however, this time the Garnet shot first.

Both teams tallied scores in their first three attempts, and Swarthmore went ahead by one on its fourth shot. Walker then saved Catholic’s attempt to tie up the score, and Julia Luongo ’10, whose turn never came up in penalty kicks as the fifth and final kicker against Ursinus two weeks ago, notched the game winner.

“It was important for us to win in that way,” Anckaitis said. “Looking back, it couldn’t have been scripted any better.”

In the first game of the tournament against Misericordia, Swarthmore jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Less than five and a half minutes into the game Megan Colombo ’11 scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season, driving the ball into the upper right hand corner of the goal, past the outstretched hands of the leaping Misericordia goalie. After 13 minutes, Colombo added another score, this time off an assist from fellow team points leader Kelsey Cline ’11. Just two minutes later, Cline teamed up on another Swarthmore score, this time assisting Monica Cody ’10 score her first goal of the year. Finally, just under 35 minutes into the half, Hannah Purkey ’11 put up her third goal of the season, this one off an assist from Garnet defender Eileen Earl ’10. Swarthmore was done scoring for the night, and it would not allow a single Misericordia goal.

Its next game against Frostburg was more of the same story. Cline scored the game’s first two goals in the first thirteen minutes, and Sarah Reese ‘11 added another insurance goal under ten minutes into the second half. Both Cline’s first goal and Reese’s score came off of corner kicks, Cline’s from Earl, and Reese’s from Kirsten Peterson ’11. What was significant about this shutout that differentiated it from the first against Misericordia, is that Frostburg overwhelmingly out-shot Swarthmore 11-2 in the second half, and 21-10 on the night. Walker made an impressive 10 saves over the course of the game to maintain the win and the shutout.

The three wins garnered the Garnet its first ever ECAC title, and served as retribution for its run at the NCAA title being cut short.

“We’re really glad we could end the season on a good note,” Colombo said. “Especially for the seniors.”

Reese agreed. “We’re pretty excited because we wanted to do something for the seniors, and have them go out in style,” she said.

In addition to feeling proud about his team’s well-deserved ECAC championship, Anckaitis is proud of the increased respect the team has earned around the conference and region with each successive win and is excited for the future of the program.

“I’m really excited because we’ve got a good core group of players returning, and only two graduating seniors,” he said.

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