SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Sophomore
Claire O'Brien headed in a cross from junior
Katherine Zavez for the game-winning goal as the 20th-ranked Swarthmore College women's soccer team (11-0, 5-0 CC) edged visiting Gettysburg (5-2-4, 2-2 CC) by a 1-0 score on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Senior
Reba Magier made four saves in net as the Garnet defense held its opponent scoreless for the 10th time this season.
Swarthmore opened the game on the offensive and earned corner kicks in the first minutes of the contest. Freshman
Marin McCoy fired two promising shots that sailed just high of the crossbar as the game remained scoreless.
Further chances were hard to come by for both teams, but Gettysburg threatened with a counter attack in the 40th minute that was ably handled by Swarthmore's backline as it forced the Bullets' forward off-balance for a high shot.
O'Brien's tally came five minutes into the second half as Zavez made a run down the right side of the field, received a pass from
Caroline Khanna and crossed an accurate ball into the box for the sophomore forward to finish. Just 30 seconds later, Gettysburg looked for an equalizer, but was denied by Magier as Swarthmore remained ahead.
In the 56th minute,
Sophie Basalone, who made the first start of her career in the game, stopped a run by the visitors with a well-timed tackle on the Bullets' forward. A few minutes later, Swarthmore nearly found its second goal with a dangerous run by
Katie Dougherty that ended in a shot wide of the net.
Another chance came for the Garnet at 69:45 on a shot by McCoy off a corner kick that was turned away by the Gettysburg keeper. On the other end, Magier came up big in the 86th minute with a save on a deep free kick to keep the Bullets off the board.
A tense moment came in the final minute of the match when the visitors played a corner kick into the box that resulted in a scramble and two blocked shots in the box. Swarthmore secured the clearance and an ensuing offside call helped close the game in the Garnet's favor.
The women's soccer team begins a three-game road stand with a 7:30 p.m. match at Ursinus on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
