To say it was a good weekend for the Garnet would be an understatement. Swarthmore teams pounded their opponents and ultimately compiled a 7-0 record. Ultimately, if these teams continue to play at their current levels, more championships might just be on the way.
Women’s Soccer:
Last Saturday, the Garnet (4-0) were posed with their toughest task of the season: Rowan University. Not only was Rowan ranked 14th in the nation at the time, but they also trounced the Garnet last season (a 4-1 loss). This year, however, the Garnet would have their revenge.
Right out of the gate, it was clear that the Garnet would not allow a repeat of last year occur. In the 6th minute, Marin McCoy ’19 set the tone, heading in her fourth goal of the year. On that play, the goalie slipped as she was coming out to play the ball, leaving McCoy alone for the easy header.
After that goal, Rowan never regained its footing. In the 61st minute McCoy added another goal and, just eight minutes later, Hannah Lichtenstein ’17 notched her fifth goal of the year. Swarthmore would not relinquish the lead, ultimately emerging victorious by a score of 3-0.
With the win, Swarthmore improved to 4-0 with a whopping 28-0 goal differential. In fact, the impressive performance was enough to catapult the Garnet into the national rankings. As a result, when they open their conference season this Saturday at Franklin & Marshall, the 20th-ranked Garnet should have all the confidence they need.
Men’s Soccer:
After dropping the first two games of the season, the Garnet (3-2) have rebounded nicely. Last week, the Garnet won all three of their games including a 1-0 contest against Wilkes University.
In that game, the Garnet dominated the action, outshooting Wilkes 24-4. However, it took some time before Swarthmore was able to find the back of the net. In the 59th minute, Michael Nafziger ’18 did just that. He broke the drought after converting a pass from Alec McLean ’16.
The Swarthmore back end, led by goalie Ross Bednar ’18, was able to preserve the 1-0 lead. The victory gave Bednar his first career clean sheet and his first collegiate victory.
The Garnet will look to continue its winning ways this weekend at Franklin & Marshall.
Field Hockey
This year, the Garnet (1-2) have been showing some signs of promise. Last Saturday, they defeated Immaculata 8-2. In the game, scoring was not hard to come by. Clare Perez ’18 and Erin Gluck ’16 both recorded two goals, whereas Jordyn Bell ’17, Katherine Ianni ’17, Ursula Monaghan ’17, and Julia Thomas ’16 each scored one. Goaltender Ainsley Parrish ’16 recorded her fourth career college victory.
The Garnet will open their conference season at home this Saturday against Franklin & Marshall.
Women’s Tennis
Last weekend, Swarthmore hosted the Swat Invite, a three-team tournament. Each team member played a total of four matches. Overall, it was a solid showing for the Garnet. Anna Scheibmeir ’18, Rachel Hechinger ’19 and Ashley Gao ’18 all went 4-0. Meanwhile, Rachel Bronkema ’18, Alli Wong ’17, Amanda Izes ’19, and Jackie Lane ’16 all went 3-1.
Though the team starts their conference season in the spring, on September 29 the team will travel to Fredericksburg, VA for their second and final fall tournament.
Volleyball
With a 9-1 Conference record in 2014, the Swarthmore volleyball team has incredibly high expectations for this season. And so far, it looks as if those expectations can be met. This weekend, the Garnet (6-3) won the Greensboro College Invitational. Swarthmore dominated in all four matches, capturing 12 of 13 sets. In their championship performance, Swarthmore received contributions from many members of the team.
Sam Dubois ’16 and Sarah Wallace ’18 were both named to the All-Tournament team (Wallace was also the tournament MVP), Olivia Leventhal registered 56 total kills, Malia Scott ’18 had eight aces, and Sarah Girard ’19 had 44 digs.
The team travels to Neumann College for a tournament this weekend and will open its conference season on September 26 against Dickinson.
