SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The No. 13 Swarthmore College women's soccer team picked up its third consecutive victory on Tuesday night with a 3-0 triumph over Washington College at Clothier Field Stadium.
The Garnet wore down the Shorewomen throughout the evening, carrying 64 percent of the possession and compiling a 24-7 advantage in shots. Forty-six percent of the Garnet's possession was in the attacking end of the field.
Stella Saad,
Ava Gizzie, and
Lauren Lior found the back of the net for Swarthmore while
Sofie Aird made three saves to earn her seventh shutout of the season.
The win moved the Garnet closer to securing a first-round bye for next week's Centennial Conference Tournament. Swarthmore can lock up a top-two seed as early as Wednesday with a Dickinson College loss to Johns Hopkins University. The Garnet currently hold first place in the standings with 23 points, two ahead of Hopkins and three in front of Dickinson.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Garnet were awarded an early corner kick within the first 90 seconds of the contest. That started a stretch where Swarthmore outshot Washington 8-3 in the opening 30 minutes but the game remained scoreless.
- The Garnet broke through in the 31
st minute on a play started by a strong effort from
Charlotte Carleton. The senior stole the ball from a Shorewomen defender and found an open Saad near the top of the box. Saad fired a shot that proved difficult for the goalkeeper to handle, as it slipped through her hands and into the net for a 1-0 Swarthmore edge.
- Washington looked to generate a consistent attack to start the second half, but managed just two shots that were off-frame within the initial 15 minutes. Gizzie countered for the Garnet, getting off four straight attempts and converting on their final shot of the sequence in the 63
rd minute.
Celia Kanellakos took the ball off a defender in the middle of the field and found Gizzie on the outside. Gizzie dribbled up to the top left corner of the box and fired a shot across the goal inside the right post for a 2-0 lead. The marker gave the senior double-digit goals for the fourth time in their career.
- Lior closed the scoring in the 85
th minute with another impressive individual effort. She dribbled into space at midfield and streaked downfield before blasting a shot past the goalie from 30 yards to give Swarthmore a three-goal cushion. Aird then finished off the clean sheet with her final stop in the 86
th minute.
GARNET LEADERS
Goals: Saad, Gizzie, Lior 1
Assists: Carleton, Kanellakos 1
Shots: Gizzie 7
Saves: Aird 3
UP NEXT
The Garnet (11-1-3, 7-0-2 Centennial) close the regular season on Saturday at home versus Haverford College.
