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Jake Mrozewski | Phoenix Staff

Max Wilson (center) and David DeSimone (right) chase Muhlenberg on Saturday. Wilson had three ground balls to his credit in the Clothier Field contest.

BY MADDIE WILLIAMS

In print | Published April 2, 2009

The Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team fell just short of victory this Saturday in an exciting match against the Muhlenberg College Mules, finishing with a score of 4-3 after two overtime periods.
However, the Garnet men put up a valiant fight, with an inspiring comeback beginning in the third quarter to match Muhlenberg’s 3-0 lead.

The victory was Muhlenberg’s first of the season after having played six ranked teams already this season. The Mules improved to 1-6 (1-3 CC). with the win.

In the first half, Swarthmore outshot Muhlenberg 12-10. However, the Swarthmore offense could not find the back of the net, while three different Muhlenberg attackers scored three unassisted goals.
“Our defense was playing great, so we knew it was just a matter of time before the offense began to click,” Anthony Phalen ’10 said of the first half.

He proved to be right, receiving an assist from classmate Tyler Bradshaw ’10 in the third quarter and securing a spot for his team on the scoreboard.

As they entered the fourth quarter, the Swarthmore men continued to gain momentum and made and impressive comeback.

Bryan Baum ’11 blasted an unassisted shot at the Muhlenberg goalie, finding the back of the net and bringing the score to 3-2.

Finally, goalie Kevin Friedenberg ’10 managed to check a Muhlenberg attacker, igniting a brilliant transition play that kept the ball rolling for Swarthmore.

Garnet defender Max Wilson ’10 won the ground ball from Friedenberg’s check and found Will Predun ’09 with a pass.

Predun found midfielder Jacob Metzger ’09 in the offensive end, and Metzger scored the tying goal, and the game went into overtime.

After a scoreless first overtime period, the second overtime began unfavorably for Swarthmore when Muhlenberg picked up the face-off and settled the ball on offense.

Despite the comeback and building momentum from the home team, a Muhlenberg midfielder managed to score another unassisted goal in the second overtime period, ending the game. It seems to be one of those situations in which the final score does not truly reflect the solid play and effort put in by the players.

“Overall, our entire defense played outstanding,” Metzger said, echoing Phalen’s sentiments. “In the net, Kevin played unbelievably, which has been the norm all season. He gives us a chance to win every game,” Metzger continued.

Friedenberg finished the game with six saves and four ground balls. The team also exhibited significant depth; Metzger and Baum scored their first goals of the season, and Phalen his second. Predun led the Swarthmore stats in ground balls, scooping up five.

Looking ahead, the team has to brush this game off and come ready to play for every conference game. In Phalen’s words, “the team goal for the rest of the season is to try and win every [remaining] conference game, so that we can have a shot at making the Centennial Conference playoffs.”

Right now, Swarthmore has a 2-2 record in the Centennial Conference and overall record of 3-4.
Hungry for another Centennial Conference victory, the Swarthmore men will take on the McDaniel College Green Terror (6-2, 1-1 CC) at home this Saturday, April 4 at 1:00 P.M.

Disclosure Note: Sports Columnist Kevin Friedenberg is a member of the men’s lacrosse team but had no role in the production of this article.

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