BY JARED NOLAN

In print | Published October 23, 2008

Last Saturday Swarthmore Men’s Soccer improved to 10-2-1 (5-1 CC) and won its fifth straight match with an impressive 3-0 away victory over Centennial Conference opponent Franklin & Marshall. After receiving votes in the NSCAA/Adidas national rankings poll last week, the Garnet made it back into the top 25 in the most recent rankings, rounding out the list at number 25. The Diplomats fell to 7-5-2 (2-2-2 CC) with the loss and ended a three-game winning streak.
In recent history this conference matchup has been tightly contested. Six out of the last nine meetings have been decided by a 1-0 score, including all of the last four. Last season’s match even went into overtime before the Garnet’s Ladulé Lako Lo Sarah, now a senior, managed to net a goal. The fact that Swarthmore dominated this season’s game against Franklin & Marshall is a good litmus test for the Garnet: it is a very strong team this year.

The Garnet struck early in the match, scoring its first goal in the fifth minute. Swarthmore midfielder Yoi Tibbetts ’09 sent a chip over the Diplomats defense to fellow midfielder Dylan Langley ’10. Langley, coming from the right, sent a one-touch shot to the left side of the net, beating Franklin & Marshall keeper Zach Zamek. The Garnet finished the half with four shots to the Diplomat’s one. The second half brought more goal-scoring action. In the 53rd minute Swarthmore midfielder Micah Rose ’12 scored his first collegiate goal on a direct kick from about 25 yards out. The Garnet’s third and final goal came in the 68th minute when Gage Newman ’11 crossed the ball from the right side of the field. Lako Lo Sarah ’09 finished the pass with a sliding shot.

Swarthmore also scored three goals in the game against Ursinus the first Saturday of Fall Break. Forward Evan Nesterak ’09 led the Garnet with two goals, one in the 39th minute and one in the 46th minute. The first came off a corner kick by Jason Thrope ’09. Nesterak, unguarded on the far post, fired the ball into the net. The second goal came 20 seconds into the second half when Nesterak retrieved his own rebound and sent it into the back of the net. Fabian Castro ’12 scored the final Garnet goal in the 86th minute off a cross by Andreas Lagos ’11.

Ursinus denied Swarthmore keeper David D’Annunzio ’12 the blank sheet in the 89th minute when Bears’ midfielder John George headed in a free kick. But D’Annunzio redeemed himself in the game against Franklin & Marshall, earning the shutout in that match. He had an easier time of it, however, as the Diplomats only managed one shot on goal the entire game. “We held our defensive shape very well,” Lako Lo Sarah said, explaining the inability of Franklin & Marshall to generate goal-scoring opportunities. He added that “the best defense is a good attack.” Swarthmore Head Coach Eric Wagner had a similar take on the ineffectiveness of the Diplomats. “We were strong enough defensively and we were in control of the ball,” he said. Wagner also credited defenders Rory Stackpole ’09 and Jeff Kushner ’09, calling their play “outstanding.” “[Franklin & Marshall] couldn’t penetrate into the backfield.”

He also noted that Gage Newman, a defender, had an assist in the game. The fact that a defender participated in the attack is a testament to the ball control of the Garnet. Midfielder Ernesto Manzo ’11 explained the Garnet’s ability to possess saying, “The team showed a lot of patience and didn’t force any passes.” “When Swarthmore soccer comes out to play there are few teams who can match our creativity and playmaking skills,” he said. “We could have scored five more [goals] if we wanted,” Wagner said. He was most pleased, however, that every single healthy player on the team got on the field during the match. “It shows the depth of our team and the commitment of all of our players,” he said.

Looking forward, the Garnet has three matches left in the regular season, two of which are against teams with losing records. Nonetheless, Wagner insisted that “we have a pretty important stretch of games coming up.” In the last few weeks Wagner wants to work on the back line of his team. “We’re still not as strong as I want to be defensively,” he said. “We’re so excited about attacking that sometimes we get a little lazy or careless [on defense], and not as patient as we need to be.” Look for the Garnet to shut down its next opponent, McDaniel, on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. on Clothier Field.

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