BALTIMORE, Md.—Swarthmore College Men's Soccer returned to the Centennial Conference postseason for the third time in four seasons when it traveled to Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday night for the first-round matchup.

The fifth-seeded Garnet and the fifth-seeded Blue Jays kept each other off the scoreboard through the first 30 minutes. Hopkins broke the mutual shutout shortly thereafter en route to taking the game by a final score of 5-0. Hopkins moved on to the semifinal round to face top-seeded Haverford College on Saturday.

Swarthmore senior goalkeeper Tyler Zon recorded three saves in the first 30 minutes, including making a diving save to his left in the 23rd minute. Zon also got some help in the eighth minute when left back Tommy Sheehan provided the last line of defense and cleared away a shot on goal with an outstretched foot. Zon finished the match with five saves, but was forced out of the game with an injury in the 83rd minute. Ross Bednar recorded one save in the game's final minutes.

The Garnet took their first shot of the contest at the end of the 30th minute, but Marc Geschwind's attempt from the left wing went wide right.
Hopkins returned the ball downfield and capitalized with a double-assisted goal headed in by Kenny DeStefano. Just over two minutes later, the Blue Jays struck for a second time, finishing a give-and-go for the tally.

With time winding down in the first period, the Blue Jays were given a corner kick. The pass went to the far post where it was headed in with just six seconds remaining before halftime.

Swarthmore had faced a similar situation earlier in the season against Hopkins, falling behind by three, and had rallied to post two second-half goals that time. On Wednesday, the Garnet upped their shot total to nine in the second half, but couldn't locate the back of the net. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, scored twice more (52nd and 80th minutes) to ice the contest. Kenny DeStefano led the Blue Jays with two goals.

The Garnet conclude the 2015 season with a 7-9-3 overall record and will have to move on without seniors Tyler Zon, Alec McClean and Wyatt McCall. The young Garnet squad which featured 17 underclassmen this season will look to build upon this year's regular season and postseason experience when it returns to the field in 2016.