Swarthmore College Wins South Men's Soccer Championship
(Courtesy of Swarthmore Sports Information)
READING, Pa. - The Swarthmore College men's soccer team (13-6-1)
captured the ECAC South Region championship in dramatic fashion, as
senior captain Micah
Rose scored the championship-winning goal off a free kick in
the 104th minute of play to lift the Garnet past Medaille 1-0 (2OT)
on Sunday afternoon from Alvernia University.
Playing his final game in the Garnet uniform, Rose capped his
illustrious career with a goal that will be remembered for years to
come. Starting from just outside the box on a restart, Rose's
beautifully-struck ball sailed past the outstretched arms of
Medaille goalkeeper Jimmy Frascati and struck the far left post
before falling into the back of the net, giving Swarthmore the
championship and sending the Garnet bench into jubilation.
The ECAC South Region championship is the second in program history
and first since 2007.
The win over Medaille (19-4-1) is sweet revenge for Swarthmore,
which was eliminated from the 2010 NCAA Championships by the
Mavericks -- almost exactly one year ago to the day -- on penalty
kicks following a 0-0 draw from Clothier Field Stadium. Including
last season's scoreless draw, the Garnet and Mavericks had played
213 minutes of scoreless soccer until Rose's goal.
Thanks to his play over the three games of the ECAC Tournament, Rose was named the ECAC South Region's Most Outstanding Player.
The hard-fought, physical match was evenly played all the way up to Rose's golden goal. Swarthmore put three shots on target in the first half -- including two from Rose -- but were unable to convert.
The second half saw the intensity ramp up on both sides, as three of the game's six yellow cards were called over first 20 minutes of the second. Swarthmore again had its chances -- putting four shots on goal -- but still could not break down the Medaille defense. The Garnet's best chance came in the final minute of the match when senior Fabian Castro's open shot from inside the box missed just wide.
After a scoreless first overtime session, Swarthmore made sure it wouldn't come down to penalty kicks with Medaille for second-consecutive season. A save by senior goalkeeper David D'Annunzio in the 102nd minute preserved the scoreless game and Rose won it on his free kick just two minutes later.
Much of the credit for the victory goes to the Garnet defense. Led by D'Annunzio between the pipes with support from sophomore Cameron French, sophomore Geli Carabases, freshman Michael Superdock, senior Arsean Maqami and sophomore Jake Weiner on the backline, the Garnet held the high-scoring Mavericks off the scoreboard for 103 minutes of play. The shutout was the 29th of D'Annunzio's career.
The championship win is a fitting send off for Swarthmore's nine seniors; the Class of 2012 wraps up one of the most successful four-year runs in program history with three NCAA Championship appearances ('08, '09, '10), two Centennial Conference Championships ('08, '10) and an ECAC South Region Championship ('11).
DIII South Release | Bracket | Preview
Schedule:
First Round
– Wednesday, November 9
No. 1 Alvernia def. No. 8 Wesley, 3-0 box score | recap
No. 2 Medaille def. No. 7 Grove City, 1-0 box score | recap
No. 3 Marywood def. No. 5 Lebanon Valley 1-1 (PK Home) box score | recap
No. 4 Swarthmore def. No. 5 Frostburg State 1-1 (PK Home) box score | recap
Semifinals
– Saturday, November 12 (at Alvernia)
No. 4 Swarthmore def. No. 1 Alvernia, 3-1 box score l recap
No. 2 Medaille def. No. 3 Marywood, 5-2 boxscore | recap
Championship
– Sunday, November 13 (at
Alvernia)
No. 4 Swarthmore def. No. 2 Medaille, 1-0
2OT box score l recap
