Sports

Men’s soccer gaining steam in bid for NCAA title

In print | November 20, 2008

Over the weekend, Swarthmore Men’s Soccer, ranked eleventh in the nation and first in the Mid-Atlantic region, hosted the first and second round games of the NCAA Division III Soccer Championship and gave the spirited home crowd reason to cheer. On Saturday, the Garnet (17-2-2) squared off against the Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors (16-5-2) and coasted to a 2-0 victory. Dickinson (13-5-3) upset Salisbury (15-4-3) 1-0 in the night game and faced Swarthmore on Sunday. In that match, the Garnet hung on to a 1-0 lead to advance to Sectionals, which will also take place on Clothier Field. This is the first time the team has advanced past the second round of the national tournament since 1974, and it means that the Garnet is one of 16 teams left in the nation.

Pouring rain marked the start of the first-round game, but the deluge did nothing to douse the fired-up spirit of the Garnet. In the first half, Swarthmore outshot the Scarlet Raptors 13-0, but at halftime the score remained tied at nil-nil. It was only a matter of time before the Garnet capitalized, however, and not long into the second half a well-placed free kick by Captain Rory Stackpole ’09 found its way into the box. Forward Ladulé Lako Lo Sarah ’09 got a head on the ball, but the Rutgers-Camden keeper managed to block that attempt. Teammate David Sterngold ’12 found the rebound, however, and fired a shot into the back of the net, putting the Garnet up 1-0 in the 54th minute.

Now in control of the game, Swarthmore midfielders either made runs along the sidelines to feed the ball into the center, or the defensive backs, pushed up to midfield, fed balls over the top to attackers. Forward Morgan Langley ’11 corralled one of these passes in the 67th minute, found his way by the Scarlet Raptors defense and unleashed a low shot to the left side of the net. The Rutgers-Camden keeper dove, but the ball made it under his outstretched arms and put the Garnet up 2-0.

While containing the Scarlet Raptors’ attack, the Garnet also enjoyed many more scoring opportunities. A third goal was called back due to offsides later in the half. Midfielder Fabian Castro ’12 set up the play by streaking down the right sideline, the neon green swooshes on his cleats blurring together. He sent the ball to the opposite side of the field, where a shot was taken and then tipped in by Morgan Langley right in front of the goal, but he turned out to be offsides.

Castro said his first season at Swarthmore “has been a learning experience … it’s a different style of play than club [soccer].” Despite the differences in play, he has adjusted well, getting into the thick of scoring opportunities in both games. When starting midfielder Micah Rose ’12 had to leave Sunday’s second-round match against Dickinson due to injury, Castro was one of the substitutions into the midfield. Shortly after entering the game, Castro was called upon to take a free kick on the left side of the field, deep in Red Devil territory. He sent the ball into the box where Captain Dylan Langley ’10 headed the ball into the left side of the net. That goal, netted in the 30th minute, would prove to be the difference in the game.

Swarthmore Head Coach Eric Wagner used the example of Rose’s injury to illustrate the depth of his team. “Depth is probably our biggest strength. For instance, Micah Rose got injured about 20 minutes in, but bring a kid like [Roberto] Contreras off the bench and he fits magnificently. And Stu Leon steps up and plays 90 minutes.” The depth is especially crucial in tournaments set up like this one, where teams must play two games in one weekend to advance. The Garnet effectively utilized this strength in the second half of the game against Dickinson. Whenever the Red Devils began to gain momentum and generate some opportunities, the Garnet substituted in fresh players to win the ball back and protect the lead.

Wagner also observed another strength that the Garnet had to implement to fend off the Red Devils. The match was marked by multiple hard fouls and Wagner noted, “Dickinson could only beat us by disrupting us. One of our strengths is to stay focused in spite of that.”

Dickinson had to resort to this style because they did not have the skill or the quickness to match Swarthmore, something Lako Lo Sarah says is new this season. “We can out-muscle any team out there, but this year is different because now we can outplay any team out there.”

Dickinson came close to tying the score with four minutes left in the match. The Red Devils had a free kick in Garnet territory and loaded the box with multiple attackers. Swarthmore keeper David D’Annunzio ’12 was forced to come out of the net and punch the ball away. The ball rebounded to a Dickinson player who took a shot, but D’Annunzio was able to get his body in the way and deflect the ball to yet another Dickinson attacker who harmlessly shanked it high over the net. This sequence revved up the crowd and the Strath Haven High School contingent fell into one of its more popular chants, “We got D’Annunzio!”

The save also served to secure D’Annunzio’s ninth blank sheet of the season, tying the Garnet’s record for most shutouts in a single season. Lako Lo Sarah praised the play of his keeper, saying, “he’s always solid on crosses and coming out and he’s fearless.”

Lako Lo Sarah also praised the crowd. “It makes all the difference in the world,” he said. Wagner expressed similar appreciation. “The crowds have just been phenomenal. Our players just feed off it,” he said. Even though it was a Sunday evening, Swatties came out to support the magical run of the soccer team. The crowd included cheerleaders with pompoms in silver and black dance costumes, shirtless fans with painted chests, the Phoenix mascot, a cowbell and students from Strath Haven High School.

Any Swat fans that missed this past weekend’s games will have another chance, because Swarthmore will host three sectional matches this coming weekend. The first match on Saturday is between the #1 team in the country, Trinity University (Texas) (19-0-1), and Ohio Wesleyan (18-4-1), ranked ninth. After that game, the Garnet will face Amherst College (13-3-3) at approximately 7:30 PM. The winners will play in the sectional final at 6:00 PM on Sunday. The winner of that match will be in the Final Four and travel to Greensboro, North Carolina for the 34th annual NCAA Division III Championship.

Even though the Garnet has been dominating of late — the team’s unbeaten streak is at 13 matches — do not expect the team to be complacent. Lako Lo Sarah pointed out that “the team has eight seniors and every game could be our last one.” Asked whether he has been doing anything to motivate his team, Wagner responded, “At this point you don’t really have to. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.” The experience? Four wins away from a National Championship.