As the final seconds ticked off the clock in last Saturday’s 2-0 win versus Dickinson, the Swarthmore women’s soccer team accomplished something rather impressive. In their most recent matchups with every team in the Centennial Conference, Swarthmore has been on the winning side. Though this statistic dates back to last season, with a potent offense, a solid defense and an elite goaltender, the 2015 Garnet have all the makings to continue this positive trend.
In fact, not only are the Garnet (8-0) undefeated this season, they also possess the highest goals per game average in the nation (6.38). Although this number is a little inflated due to 15-0 and 11-0 victories versus out of conference teams, they beat 14-ranked Rowan handily (3-0) and have won their two conference games by a combined margin of a seven goals. Ultimately, there’s no denying that this team possesses an incredible amount of tenacity.
On the offensive side of the ball, Hannah Lichtenstein ’17 and Marin McCoy ’19 are tied for the Centennial Conference lead in goals (9) and they rank first and second respectively in points (25 and 24). Additionally, Melissa Trofa ’16 is tied for second in the country with eight assists. However, the team’s massive output has not stopped with these three players. Katie Dougherty ’18 and Caroline Khanna ’17 both rank in the conference top 10 in points. And of the 29 position players on the team, an astonishing 18 players have registered goals along with 22 who have notched points.
“We have so many different ways to score and ways of attack,” McCoy noted. “Everyone has multiple ways to approach the goal. We have faster players and more technical players. It’s not just one way so it’s harder for the defense to really shut us down.”
This season, McCoy and Lichtenstein in particular have showcased their ability to score goals in a myriad of ways. They’ve both scored on crosses, chips, headers and one-on-ones. Last Saturday against Dickinson, McCoy scored one of the most unique goals of the year. Yasmeen Namazie ’19 cleared the ball from Swarthmore’s own eighteen-yard box all the way to midfield, where McCoy made a play on the pass. She headed the ball forward into space and used her speed to create separation from the defender. With the lone defender trailing behind her, the play turned into a one-on-one with the goalie. McCoy emerged on top as she aptly used her left foot to bury the ball in the back of the net. Though this was just one example, it showcased how McCoy and the other players have the ability to score in seconds and put games out of reach quickly.
In addition to a dangerous offense, the defense has been a stalwart. The unit, which is anchored by Emily Telford-Marx ’16, Amanda Bosworth ’16, Katherine Zavez ’17 and Melissa Curan ’19, has held opponents to an average of two shots on goal per game and a paltry total of 31 shots attempted. Though opponents have not registered many shots on goal, the goaltending has been stellar – specifically, Reba Magier ’16. Coming off of a year where she was named the Centennial Conference Tournament MVP, Magier picked up right where she left off. She currently holds an 8-0 record along with holding the distinction of being the last keeper in the country with a 1.000 save percentage.
Swarthmore coach Todd Anckaitis said of Magier, “Reba has proven herself in both this conference and this region as one of the best and we love knowing she’s minding our net…. We’re expecting even better things from her as a senior and she is working hard to continue to improve daily. I’d like her to prove she’s one of the best in the country by the end of this season.”
After her auspicious start, Magier very well could be recognized as one of the nation’s top keepers. In fact, on Tuesday, the NCAA tweeted about Magier’s play, mentioning how she leads the nation in save percentage.
Though Magier is having a superb statistical year, that’s probably one of the last things Swarthmore’s next opponent is thinking about. This Saturday, the Garnet travel to Baltimore for a matchup with Johns Hopkins, the 2014 Centennial Conference runner-up. When Hopkins sees Magier they’ll surely be thinking of revenge, since it was Magier who saved Hopkins’ final penalty kick at the 2014 Conference Championship, Magier who took home the MVP award and Magier’s team who celebrated at the end of the game.
“We’re expecting them to be really angry with us,” Magier said. “It will be a big, huge battle and I’m hoping that the freshmen coming in will understand how big a battle this will be. I know my team is pumped and wants to beat them. And [we] want to beat them in regulation time and not PK’s – or overtime in this case.”
Hopkins most likely has Swarthmore circled on their schedule; however, for many of the Garnet players, this is just another game. “The JH motivation will be no different than any conference team we will play this season,” Coach Anckaitis said. “We’re going to get everyone’s best shot. Our mindset has been and will continue to be to improve on our last performance. There are still a lot of games left on the schedule. If we can do that every day we will put ourselves in a great position as the season progresses.
In preparing his team for the game, Coach Anckaitis made it a priority of his not to have his team fall victim to the Johns Hopkins lore. Prior to last season, Hopkins had won eight of the previous nine Centennial Conference Tournaments. And, with such an impressive résumé, it’s more than possible opposing teams psych themselves out before even stepping on the pitch against them. However, Coach Anckaitis employed a technique to prevent that from happening: referring to Johns Hopkins as JH. Although the method seems to bear a striking resemblance to how Harry Potter and his friends referred to Lord Voldemort as “You-Know-Who,” it actually forces the Garnet to overlook JH’s storied tradition and focus on the now. Because in the present, it’s Swarthmore who is ranked 13th in the nation (JH is not ranked at all), it’s Swarthmore who leads the nation in goals for and goals against, and it’s Swarthmore who is the reigning Centennial Conference Champion.
Though the match won’t be easy, if Swarthmore continues to play its game, then it should put itself in a good position to win. And if book seven of Harry Potter told us anything, then they will.
