Gettysburg, Pa.— Sophomore Michael Stewart blasted home the game-winning goal in double overtime as the Swarthmore College men's soccer team (8-1-1, 4-0-1 CC) defeated homestanding Gettysburg 1-0 on Saturday afternoon to remain unbeaten in Centennial Conference play.
Stewart's golden goal came in the 102nd minute of play. The goal was Stewart's team-leading seventh of the season and marked the second time this season he provided the game-winning score in overtime (first came against Rutgers-Newark on 9/1/12).
The match was decided after two full periods of regulation and one period of extra time. In the 102nd minute, junior Noah Sterngold found time with the ball at the center of the midfield and struck a beautiful through ball that found Stewart in stride, who took a placement touch and blasted the game-winning goal into the far post.
A defensive contest played through windy conditions, the Garnet had the better of play in the first half, recording four shots, two of which were on target. Defensively, the Garnet also allowed no shots and conceded no corners in the first half.
At the end of the day the Garnet defended cohesively, and junior keeper Peter Maxted was solid, saving the one shot on target he faced for his fourth shutout of the season.
The Gettysburg keeper, junior Connor Darrell, turned in a strong performance with four saves. Though allowing the game-winner later in overtime, Darrell did well to save a penalty kick taken by junior Jack Momeyer in the first half, to keep the Bullets even in a hard-fought game.
For the match, the Garnet outshot the Bullets 11-6 and held a 6-3 edge in corner kicks. Momeyer led the Swat offense with three shots.
With four victories and one draw, the Garnet finds itself in sole possession of first place in the Centennial standings with four conference matches remaining to play.
Next up, the Garnet get a break from conference play and return home on Wednesday, October 10th to play Scranton. Play is set for 7:00.
