SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Swarthmore College women's soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss to Franklin and Marshall College in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament on Friday night.
 
The fourth-seeded Diplomats tallied the lone goal of the contest off a throw-in midway through the first half to knock off the top-seeded Garnet. F&M advances to Sunday's championship game at the second seed Johns Hopkins University.
 
Swarthmore outshot the Diplomats, 24-16, with an 11-9 edge in shots on goal. The Garnet pressured throughout the evening but the F&M defense snuffed out several chances and received solid goalkeeping to keep Swarthmore off the board. Ava Gizzie led the Garnet with 11 shots and Lila Travers totaled eight saves.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Diplomats had the first quality chance in the 11^th minute off a corner kick. After a pass was sent up field, a service was sent towards the goal that Travers had to leap for and punch away to keep the game scoreless.
 
- Gizzie nearly put Swarthmore in front in the 19^th minute but their shot clanged off the left post. Marea Lee got off a shot on the rebound but the Diplomats goalkeeper was able to make the save.
 
- F&M broke the ice in the 22^nd minute. The Diplomats had a throw-in on the left side deep in the Swarthmore end. The throw made it into the box and it was headed on past Travers into the right side of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
 
- In the second half, the Garnet had another quality sequence that nearly produced the tying goal in the 58^th minute. Veronica Gibbons tried to blast a shot from outside the box and it was blocked. The ball bounced to Gizzie who made a move around a defender and booted a ball in that the goalkeeper jumped up to knock away. The rebound found its way to Jacinta Fernandes-Brough just outside the left post. She got off a final shot that the goalie turned away as well.
 
- In the 71^st minute, Keren Maze served the ball downfield and it got behind the F&M backline. Gizzie had a step on the defense and raced towards the loose ball along with the Diplomats keeper. Gizzie got to the ball first and got off a shot but the goalie was close enough to cut off the angle and come up with the sliding stop.
 
- F&M almost iced the contest in the 83^rd minute but the shot went off the right post. Swarthmore then looked like it finally found the equalizer in the 86^th minute. Emme Hansard had the ball just past midfield and sent a service forward. The ball dropped in behind the backline and rolled into the box, where Gizzie raced in and tapped it past the charging goalkeeper and into the cage. However, Gizzie was ruled offside on the play.
 
GARNET LEADERS
Shots: Gizzie 11
Shots on Goal: Gizzie 4
Saves: Travers 8
 
UP NEXT
The Garnet (12-3-2) will await a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The selection show will air on NCAA.com on Monday at 1:30 p.m.