Box Score SWARTHMORE, Pa. - An early goal from junior Megan Brock and a valiant effort from the defense helped lead the Swarthmore College women's soccer team (7-4, 4-2) past Dickinson, 1-0, in a crucial Centennial Conference match on Thursday evening from Clothier Field Stadium.
Brock scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 14th minute. She intercepted an errand pass from a Dickinson (9-4, 3-3) defender deep in the Swarthmore area, juked past another Red Devil defender in stride and finished from about eight-yards out to put the Garnet in front 1-0.
For the remaining 75 minutes of the match, the Garnet defense was the star, as it shut down the Red Devils' offense. Freshman Reba Magier came up big between the pipes, tying a career-high with seven saves.
With the win, the Garnet keeps pace in its quest to return to the Centennial Conference playoffs. Swarthmore sits just one game out of first place in the Centennial standings with four conference contests remaining on the schedule.
In the first half of play, the Red Devils recorded more shots (8-6) and shots on goal (4-2) than the Garnet, but it was all for naught as Brock's 14th minute tally proved to be the only score, giving Swat the 1-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, Swarthmore almost added to its lead on two separate occasions. Utilizing the counter attack to perfection, sophomore Emma Sindelar was able to break free of the defense in both the 54th and 62nd minutes. Unfortunately for the Garnet, Dickinson goalkeeper Annie Weichert made a pair of point-blank saves on Sindelar to keep the score at 1-0.
Down the stretch, the Swarthmore defense hunkered down to stymie the Red Devils' offense. In the final 20 minutes of play, Dickinson was able to record just one shot in the 87th minute, as Swarthmore held on for the important win.
Swarthmore returns to action on Saturday at McDaniel. Play is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.
