SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College men's soccer team earned valuable points in the Centennial Conference standings with a commanding 5-0 victory over Washington College on Wednesday. With two games remaining in the regular season, the Garnet sit tied for fourth in the conference standings.
JohnPaul D'Andrea continues to play his best soccer at a crucial point in the season. The junior recorded his first career hat trick, scoring the Garnet's first three goals of the game. D'Andrea doubled his season goal total and has scored all six of his goals over the last four games. The forward was a matchup nightmare for the Shoremen, firing off a game-high nine shots.
Kaden Cho and Charles Orluk added to the scoring with second-half goals. Orluk scored the first goal of his career, while Cho netted his fourth of the season. Len Yamabe also played a big role in the team's offensive outburst, tallying three assists on the evening.
The Garnet set a new season-high with five goals, and have scored four or more goals in four of their previous five contests.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- D'Andrea created a matchup problem for the Shoremen in the opening half. The junior had several excellent scoring chances and presented a threat every time he touched the ball. The Garnet midfield and backs did an exceptional job of creating opportunities for their scorer, breaking D'Andrea loose with outstanding passing.
- The junior forward broke through with the game's first goal in the 13th minute. D'Andrea and Yamabe worked together on a few back-and-forth passes, which resulted in D'Andrea ripping a strike past the keeper. D'Andrea wasn't finished in the half, firing off seven shots and nearly connecting on a handful of opportunities.
- Colin Crowe didn't see a ton of action in a Swarthmore-dominated half, but made three crucial saves in the opening 45-minutes. The sophomore keeper made a couple early stops from point-blank range, before deflecting away another dangerous attempt in the 40th minute. Crowe ended the game with three saves for his third shutout of the season.
- D'Andrea struck again in the 51st minute. Colin Solic played a long pass, which was mishandled by the goalkeeper and scooped up by D'Andrea for an easy score. He then scored once more in the 62nd minute after an excellent feed from Dylan Godinez from beyond midfield.
- Cho added on in the 78th minute after connecting on a feed from Noah Daniel. Yamabe controlled a loose ball towards the far side and found Daniel to set up the scoring chance. Orluk would cap off the night with his first collegiate goal in the 83rd minute. Yamabe touched a pass to Dylan Godinez, who found the head of Orluk for the team's final score.
GARNET LEADERS
Points: D'Andrea 6
Goals: D'Andrea 3
Assists: Yamabe 3
Shots: D'Andrea 9
Saves: Crowe 3
UP NEXT
The Garnet (6-7-2, 4-3) travel to Gettysburg College on Saturday. The Bullets are currently positioned behind the Garnet in the Centennial standings.
