BY JARED NOLAN

In print | Published October 30, 2008

Swarthmore Women’s Soccer battled with Gettysburg in the rain this past Saturday at Clothier Field. The Bullets (5-6-5, 4-4-1 CC) scored in the second half to force the game into overtime, which remained scoreless through both extra periods. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, giving the Garnet a point in the conference standings and sending its record to 9-3-2 (5-1-2 CC).

As of midday Wednesday that record translated into sole possession of third place with 17 points. Previously the Garnet had been in second place, but when Swarthmore’s match versus Haverford on Tuesday was postponed a day due to rain, Dickinson passed Swarthmore and clinched a tournament berth with a win over Gettysburg. John Hopkins University is first in the Centennial Conference with an undefeated record of 9-0 in conference play, with 27 points. The top five teams from the conference make it into the tournament.

The Garnet could have effectively clinched one of these five playoff spots on Saturday, and that made the draw even more difficult to swallow. The team looked good early, with its goal coming in the 28th minute. Gettysburg defenders attempted to clear the ball out of their half but Swarthmore defender Eileen Earl ’10 sent the ball right back into the middle of the box. There forward Kelsey Cline ’11 redirected the ball into the right corner of the net. Despite trailing the Bullets in shots 6-4 during the first frame, the Garnet managed to keep the 1-0 advantage into halftime.

Gettysburg found the net in the second half, however, and tied the game at 1-1 in the 60th minute. The goal came off a corner kick by Bullets defender Lauren Johnson. After a previous corner that Swarthmore keeper and captain Lauren Walker ’09 was able to knock out of bounds, Gettysburg lined up again, and Johnson’s boot found her teammate Jordann Smak, who headed in the tying goal.

Swarthmore had opportunities to win the match towards the end of regulation, kicking the last three shots of the second half. On the final attempt, in the 84th minute, the shot struck the crossbar but the ball could not find a way in, sending the game to sudden-death overtime.

Neither team managed a shot on goal in the first period of extra time, but Swarthmore saw two opportunities go by in the second period. Monica Cody ’10 remarked on the goal-scoring chances. “I thought they were going in actually. They both were really close,” she said. Neither shot connected with the back of the net, however, and after 110 minutes of play the teams remained deadlocked at 1-1.

The shot tally was also close, with Swarthmore getting the slight edge 14-13. A tie is a familiar feeling for the Bullets; they have had five over the course of the season, the most of any team in the Centennial Conference. It was harder for the Garnet, however, because they came in as the favored team, ranked eighth in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Head Coach Todd Anckaitis acknowledged the sour taste of the draw. “Honestly, the team was disappointed with the result,” he said.

But Anckaitis also noted that the team should not be too disappointed because they’ve gone through a lot. “We’ve battled a lot of adversity in the last few weeks and I’m proud of how we’ve weathered some tough competition. From the tough travel schedule…to the winds and poor quality field at the Ursinus game and the wind and rain conditions against Gettysburg not to mention the revolving door of injuries our squad has had in the last two weeks we’ve performed well in some harsh conditions.” Player Taylor Rhodes ’10 was also optimistic. “We’re moving on and we’re putting it in the past and we’re preparing for our next game,” she said.

Keeper Lauren Walker was an important player for the Garnet, coming up with four saves in the match. As a result of her efforts Walker was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week for earning ten saves in the last two matches: this tie and a 1-0 shutout of Ursinus last Wednesday, while only allowing one goal. Anckaitis referred to his goalie as “a rock” and praised her and the rest of the defense saying, “She deserves that award and so does our defense.  An average game for her is an outstanding game for any other keeper in our conference.” He added that, “ we’re really going to miss her and the other three seniors next year, Cait Mullarkey, Melinda Petre, and Alexa Bensimhon.” The Garnet’s final match of the regular season is away at Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 11 o’clock.

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