The Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team will face Haverford College for their final game of the regular season this Saturday. With a 7-0 undefeated conference record, this conclusion is just the start of their postseason, where they have secured the No. 1 seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs.
Led by captains Von Mabbs ’24, Carter Strauch ’24, and Alex Strauch ’24, this team will embark on a competitive journey through the Centennial tournament and towards an NCAA qualification, an accomplishment the team has achieved only twice in program history. In 1984, the team reached the quarterfinals stage, and just last season after a 38-season drought, Swarthmore reached the second round. Before their journey to the 2024 NCAA championship begins, here is everything you need to know about their record-breaking season so far.
A 13-1 overall record and 7-0 conference record has not only earned them the No. 1 seed in the Centennial Conference, but a No. 6 seed in the national rankings. This is the first time in program history that Swarthmore men’s lacrosse has ranked in the top ten nationally.
Throughout the past three months, the Garnet have outscored their opponents 217 to 119 with an average of 50 shots per game and 25 different goal scorers on their roster. Their leading goal scorer, Michael Hardiman ’25, has an impressive 40 goals, while Carter Strauch, Von Mabbs, and Clay Almgren ’26 all have more than twenty. The Garnet have also more than doubled the amount of assists of their opponents, 129 to 59. Leading this statistic is Von Mabbs with 22.
Starting goalkeeper Drew Tyson ’26 has had an incredible season. He has a total of 152 saves in eleven games and averages 13.82 saves per game. His success in the net has landed him three out of the Garnet’s five Centennial Conference Player of the Week distinctions.
Swarthmore men’s lacrosse has experienced quite the turnaround over the past few years. For comparison, their current national ranking, No. 6, is higher than last year’s preseason conference ranking, No. 7 of just nine total Centennial teams. Swarthmore men’s lacrosse has improved immensely in just a short amount of time.
Compared with the rest of the conference, Swarthmore is No. 1 in goals per game, points per game, assists per game and shots per game. They also have the highest faceoff percentage and the least goals against them. A victorious result this Saturday would also yield the most conference wins the program has ever had in a single season.
Needless to say, it is no surprise that the Garnet have great standings on the conference and national levels. This team’s incredible regular season has set the stage for a compelling postseason. Throughout the next few weeks, Swarthmore will host the Centennial Conference semifinals and possibly the finals. They will also hear where they stand in the NCAA tournament bracket, where the odds are very much in their favor.
The conclusion of the Swarthmore men’s lacrosse season is bittersweet, but the Garnet have an exciting postseason ahead of them. Good luck to the team this Saturday against Haverford and throughout the exhilarating weeks to follow. Go Garnet!
