CARLISLE, Pa. – The Swarthmore College men's soccer team nearly took down sixth-ranked Dickinson College on the road on Saturday but a late penalty kick by the Red Devils evened the score and the Centennial Conference game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Dickinson took a 1-0 lead in the 24
th minute but
Adrien Marcelli tied it up for the Garnet in the latter portion of the first half.
Tejas Sarna gave Swarthmore the upper hand early in the second half and it looked like the tally would hold up as the game-winner until a foul in the box resulted in a game-tying penalty kick with under three minutes remaining.
The Red Devils had an 18-9 advantage in shot attempts but just a slim 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Garnet had a clear 5-1 dominance in corner kick opportunities.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-
Christian Bignotti was tested early in the Swarthmore net, stopping a shot just over a minute into the contest. The next five Dickinson shots were off frame but the Red Devils later broke the ice in the 24
th minute.
- The Garnet did not record a shot until the 37
th minute but it resulted in a goal to tie it up at one.
Anzel Zhen took a corner kick for Swarthmore and booted it to the far side of the box. Marcelli got his head on it and sent the ball arcing over the defense and into the left corner of the net. The Garnet had another chance in the final minute of the half but it was stopped by the goalkeeper.
- Swarthmore had the first sequence of sustained pressure in the second half and it paid dividends in the form of a 2-1 lead in the 53
rd minute. Sarna had a shot saved by the goalie and after the Garnet could not convert on a corner kick, Sarna had another chance that he did not miss.
Toshiro Kenney set up Sarna with a pass, and Sarna beat a defender and the goalie with a shot to the left side.
- Bignotti stood tall in the Swarthmore net with four saves throughout the second half. Marcelli had an opportunity to put the game on ice in the 82
nd minute but the Dickinson goalie came up with a huge save to keep the deficit at one. In the 88
th minute, the Red Devils were awarded a free kick outside the box. During the play, a foul was called on the Garnet, resulting in a Dickinson penalty kick. The kick was converted to even the score.
- Swarthmore had one final moment to pull ahead as
Joost Almekinders was able to get a header off a free kick. However, the keeper came through with an acrobatic save, leaping up and punching the shot over the bar to keep the game tied. The ensuing corner kick did not produce anything for the Garnet and they were forced to settle for the draw.
GARNET LEADERS
Goals: Marcelli, Sarna 1
Assists: Zhen, Kenney 1
Shots: Marcelli 3
Saves: Bignotti 5
UP NEXT
Swarthmore (9-3-2, 2-3-1 Centennial) hosts Muhlenberg College on Wednesday.
