9/1/01 SWAT KICK SEMI'S Swarthmore 1 - Immaculata 0

The Swarthmore soccer season is underway with the opening of the Swat Kick Classic Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Immaculata.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, with the pep band playing and fans with SWAT painted on their chests in the stands. After a couple minutes of adjustment, the Swarthmore team began to control the flow of play, getting off some quality chances on Immaculata's defense. Seconds before half time, 44:32 into the game, first year Rachel Jacobs(Severna Park, MD) slid a ball past the keepers fingers off of a feed from fellow first year Shavaugn Lewis(Sacramento, CA) for the first and only goal of the game.

All 27 healthy players saw action and put on a good show for their fans before rushing off to their class registration.

SC - 22 shots, 4 corners - Rachel Jacobs 1g, Shavaugn Lewis - 1a, Catherine Salussolia and Courtney Caughey 0 saves in45 min each.

IC - 1 shot, 2 corners - Victoria Wysokowski 13 saves.

In the other semi final, Widener knocked off Catholic with a 2-0 victory. Widener scored early as Lauren Forcina fed Katie Doran a ball at 4:03. The second goal came minutes into the second half as Allison Augustus found the net for Widener 46:31 into the game.

Catholic and Immaculata will meet for the Consolation match at 12 p.m. and Swarthmore and Widener will meet in the finals. This will be Swarthmore's 6th trip into the finals but they will be looking for their first win. Beaver denied them in PK's the first year of the Swarthmore Kick Classic in '96 and last year's final was canceled due to heavy rain.

9/2/01 SWAT KICK CHAMPIONSHIP Swarthmore 2 - Widener 0

The Swarthmore women made it happen today, winning their first Swat Kick Classic title.

The team came out strong, quickly following their game plan as1:48 into the game Junior captain, Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) took a feed from the right side and fed a diagonal ball to a streaking First year Tanya Hahnel(Silver Spring, MD) who one timed the ball just inside the far right post for her first career goal. Swarthmore continued to control much of the flow as they moved the ball quickly in possession. The insurance goal finally came(40:29) through sheer hustle by Claire Hoverman as she fought through two defenders on the right side to deliver a shot on goal that first year Shavaugn Lewis(Sacramento, CA) pressured a defender to deflect into the goal.

The former quick possession game was slightly lost near the end as Widener furiously tried to get one back but the Garnet buckled down. Swarthmore now stands at 2-0 while Widener fell to 1-1 on the year.

SC - 9 shots, 10 corners - Claire Hoverman - 1g, 1a Tanya Hahnel - 1g Catherine Salussolia 1 save in45 min., Courtney Caughey, 0 saves in 45min.

WC - 2 shots, 5 corners - Melanie Malosh - 3 saves, 1g allowed.

9/4/01 Swarthmore 6 - Philadelphia Biblical University 0

The typical Swarthmore doldrums of midday classes struck as we came out a little flat. (Coach is working on this!) However, the team got their motor running 22 minutes into the game as First year Stephanie Chapell(Foxboro, MA) sent one of her patented corners to the outside right boot of Junior Captain Claire Hoverman (Austin, TX) who one-timed it top shelf to break open the flood gates. Five minutes later, First year Ele Forbes(Oreland, PA) won a ball at sweeper and proceeded to dribble to just inside the attacking third. She took a look and decided, what the heck, drilling a ball just under the crossbar. Only 3 minutes later, First year Shavaugn Lewis(Sacramento, CA) one timed a nice feed by first year winger Monica Larimer(Goshen, IN) into the back of the net. Less then a minute later Monica finished off a header off of a corner kick by Sophomore Captain Katey McCaffrey(Pueblo, CO). Rest assured these won't be the last scores from corners as we still haven't run them properly yet!

The second half progressed nicely with Swarthmore continuing to maintain flow of the game. But the Garnet hadn't finished their fireworks yet. Fifty-two minutes in, Sophomore Corey Pilver(Manchester, CT) got into the act, turning a pass from Jackie Kahn, who had penetrated nicely down the flank, into a pretty looking shot from the top of the box. Corey smacked from the near post to just inside the far post, hard and low. Finally 69 minutes in, First year Tanya Hahnel finished off the scoring with a drive from 25 yards out into the side paneling. Yes, a 6-0 win for the Garnet.

Many others had fine scoring chances as again, everyone who was able to attend the game got some quality minutes.

9/7/01 Swarthmore 2 -Goucher 0

Swarthmore traveled to Baltimore Friday to take on the Gophers of Goucher college.

Coach had expected quite a fight from Goucher, but what she got was quite a bit of good play from her own team. The Garnet came out playing wonderfully except for a small matter of connecting passes. Quickly, they were able to fix that and began to look really darn good. Oh the times we wish we had brought the video camera. The Garnet painted the Gopher field with beautiful displays of combinations and runs, switching the field and playing sticky D. This work resulted in a goal in the 32nd minute as first year Tanya Hahnel(Silver Springs, MD) laid a nice diagonal through ball to first year Shavaugn Lewis(Sacramento, CA) who finished it past Goucher's solid keeper.

Goucher's fitness level was not up to Garnet level as Swarthmore dominated the second half as the Garnet D continued to shut down the Gophers. When Goucher did finally get a shot off, sophomore keeper Courtney Caughey(Seattle, WA) saved the ball and immediately distributed it to the streaking Shavaugn Lewis who collected it, broke through a flat Goucher D and calmly chipped it over the keeper's head for her second goal of the game.

A 2-0 win and a 4- 0 start to the season,the best start in the history of the varisty program(1982.) The garnet are not ready to rest on their laurels as they know there are many tough games ahead. Hope to catch you at some of them!

9/13/01 Swarthmore 5 - Cedar Crest 0

Thursday the 13th of September found the Garnet playing Cedar Crest in the Stadium of Swarthmore College. The sound system was out and the team was raring to go as they bumped their record up to 5-0 with a 5-0 win. Many players had some quality play in this event.

The team had to adapt to the short grass on their back up game field. But adapt they did as some onlookers commented on the garnet's ability to play well together. Their combining down the wing and solid possession led to a goal in the 28th minute by first year Shavaugn Lewis(Sacramento, CA). She was assisted by first year Ele Forbes(Oreland, PA), the sweeper who was recently named co-player of the week in the conference.

The second half found Sophomore Corey Pilver(Manchester, CT) pulling a Maradona "hand of God" goal off a corner kick by Sophomore captain Katey McCaffrey(Pueblo, CO.) That was quickly followed by another Pilver goal, this one a header off a corner delivered by first year Stephanie Chapell(Foxboro, MA.) The backs got into the act as Junior captain Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) dropped a throw-in(we'll work on the form) to first year Katie Schlesinger(New Albany, OH) who popped a ball into the air high and long. The ball found its way just under the cross bar and just beyond the outstretched fingers of the keeper for Katie's first goal of her career. With 2 minutes remaining, first year Monica Larimer(Goshen, IN) dug a ball out of the corner and sent it into senior Drea Figueroa(Caracas, VEN) who settled it to sophomore Cat Salussolia(Lanoka Harbor, NJ) who laid it off to the right side where Sophomore wing middie Anna Masilela(Claremont, CA) lay in wait. She received the ball and calmly placed a nice driven ball to the far side netting for her first collegiate goal. Quite a finish to a fun game.

The players are very excited about the upcoming conference season and are ready to make some noise. This coach is confident that they will.

Swarthmore took on its first conference foe, Franklin and Marshall, today at Clothier field. The game ended up a 1-0 loss for the Garnet.

9/19/01 Swarthmore 0 - Franklin and Marshall 1

Franklin and Marshall came out playing well but the Garnet also fed in to the Diplomats confidence. The Swarthmore units weren't quite working together making it very difficult to transition and maintain possession. However, the D was solid and kept the Diplomats from getting many good looks at the net. Swat knew going in, that they had a good header on their team and she finally struck off a free kick from their right corner. An angled header ball from the front of the six, back into the far netting. The Swarthmore defense was finally beaten. We can take solace in the fact that it took a very good play by the Dips.

The second half found the Garnet believing more in their own abilities and possessing through the field. The play became much more in the favor of Swarthmore as the Dips fell back on their heels. First year Rachel Jacobs(Severna Park, MD) and Junior Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) helped lead the way with solid performances in the center of the field. Unfortunately, Swarthmore was unable to get an answer to their knocking.

On a sad note, Forward Shavaugn Lewis(Sacramento, CA) was lost for the season with a torn ACL and a grade 2 sprain of the MCL. But she will be put right to work with Coach Brunner's stat sheets on the sideline.

Today's game was a test for the Garnet - to see how they stacked up within the conference. I'd say we passed the test in that when we play with confidence in ourselves we can take on just about everyone! It didn't end in our favor today but the future continues to look bright.

Swarthmore took on perennial soccer power Gettysburg today in their second conference match. Although the garnet lost 3 - 1, they played the Bullets tough.

9/22/01 Swarthmore 1 - Gettysburg 3

Swarthmore denied Gettysburg their normal offensive attack. The Bullets did get off a few shots, but none extremely dangerous. Swarthmore countered with their own offensive thrusts down the wing, letting the Bullets know that we were a force to be reckoned with. Alas, after 36 minutes of battling, Swarthmore got caught on some defensive breakdowns involving recovery runs, freeing a Gettysburg player down the wing. The player managed quite a nice shot toward the upper ninety from about 20 yards away. 3 minutes, a similar situation occurred and the Bullets quickly held a 2-0 lead.

However, Swarthmore would not be squashed. They powered back in the second half, led by the tenaciousness of Junior Captain Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX). Others jumped on the bandwagon, including Sophomore Corey Pilver(Manchester, CT) and Senior Captain Marah Gotcsik(Lima, NY). 4 minutes into the second half the Garnet were rewarded with a goal of their own off a corner kick. A beautiful kick found the net as Claire pressured the defense and forced the ball to bounce right off a Gettysburg player and into the net.

Unfortunately, Gettysburg came back at the 61st minute mark to add a goal but the Garnet are very proud of their performance. They maintained their intensity and gathered themselves to play very tough against a strong team. This was a huge improvement over last season's game and a sign that Swarthmore Soccer continues to be on the rise.

9/26/01 Swarthmore 1 - Muhlenberg 4

Swarthmore drove to Muhlenberg for their third conference game of the season. The Mules were conference champs last year and continue to be strong as they are ranked 8th in the region. We gave them a run but ended up falling 4 - 1.

The game started off well. We were playing some sticky D and starting to get some looks, but the Mules got off some solid shots. We held them as Catherine Salussolia(Lanoka Harbor, NJ) made some fine saves in net. One finally snuck in near the end of the half as Muhlenberg took a 1-0 lead.

The second half caught us flat footed as they came out to add another quick goal, but we quickly bounced back to turn the game into a bit more of a back and forth affair. There were some nice combinations and good offensive creation throughout the roster. Unfortunately, the Mules were able to steal two breakaway opportunities to knock us down 4-0. But as the good Swatties that we are, we didn't sit back. Instead, we came back harder and our creativity picked up. Katey McCaffrey(Pueblo, CO) began to freelance and others followed her lead. At one point, Katey fed a nice through ball to Stephanie Chapell(Foxboro, MA) who was making a beautiful diagonal run. Stephanie picked it up, shouldered off a defender and sent a driven ball to the far post. In came a streaking Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) with a player draped all over her. Claire still managed to find the ball with her right boot and rifle a shot into the back of the net. More opportunities followed but none were able to be finished.

A 4-1 loss for the Garnet to drop them to 5-3 on the year. But no worries. Back to work on Thursday for a two game stretch of teams NOT ranked! Again they will be tough challenges but Swarthmore hopes to pick up their pace and get back on the winning track.

9/29/01 Swarthmore1 - Washington 0

Swarthmore got back on the winning track today with their first conference win of the year, 1-0 over Washington.

Everybody received playing time in the game as the Garnet recovered from a sluggish start to maintain control for the majority of the second half. Some nice transition was shown by many. In the beginning of the second half, this transition resulted in Sophomore Katey McCaffrey(Pueblo, CO) sprinting through the middle third with the ball on her feet. She fed a nice through pass to Jackie Kahn(Cohasset, MA) who made a great run past her defender, set it up and launched a 25 yard shot from the left side. The bullet went over the keepers fingers and just under the cross bar for the game winner.

Courtney Caughey(Seattle, WA) had some nice plays in the net as well to help preserve the win for the Garnet.

10/3/01 Swarthmore2 - Ursinus 3

The Garnet lost to Ursinus today 3-2.

The first half was sluggish as Swarthmore seemed to be still on the bus, but they were making some very nice combinations through the field. The sluggishness never quite went away even through the good vision. This came back to haunt the Garnet as Ursinus received a direct kick from the left corner, the cross was well placed and caught Swarthmore on its heels giving Ursinus a 1-0 lead. Instead of waking the Garnet up, Swarthmore remained on cruise control until another direct kick was finished in much the same fashion. The Bears then closed out the half with a goal on a corner to take a 3-0 lead on the Garnet.

The sluggish play by the Garnet was corrected in the second half as the beautiful combinations that were present in the first half had an urgency to them. Eight minutes into the second half, First year Ele Forbes(Upper Dublin, PA) put Swarthmore on the board with a nice goal off a pass from Corey Pilver(Manchester, CT). Pilver assisted again on another goal by Forbes but unfortunately that was all the Garnet could get even though their offensive looks were plentiful.

The Garnet hope to recover from this loss and bring their stuff Saturday against Johns Hopkins.

10/6/01 Swarthmore1 - Johns Hopkins 3

Swarthmore took on a perennially strong Johns Hopkins squad today but came up short, dropping the contest 3-1. The team's record now stands at 6-5.

The game started off in the rain which helped the Garnet knock Hopkins off their rhythm. Yes, Hopkins had some nice opportunities but Swarthmore also came right back at them, creating some good looks. Jackie Kahn(Cohasset, MA), in particular, created some havoc on the front line. Junior co-captain Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) paced the team with her intensity and good high pressure D through the center as she helped disrupt the flow of Hopkins. Hopkins snuck a ball in off a nice cross and finish to take a 1-0 half time lead. But Swarthmore came back and had a nice combination with Claire, Corey Pilver (Manchester, CT) and Senior co-captain Marah Gotcsik(Lima, NY) down the right side. Marah was given a drop ball that she sent beautifully in behind the D near the PK Stripe. The ENTIRE TEAM converged, engulfed and then squirted the ball out of the pack and into the goal!

First year Ele Forbes(Oreland, PA) and her peeps played solidly defensively. Unfortunately, Hopkins eventually overcame the disruption of their attack and created two final goals to take the game 3-1.

Swarthmore looks forward to coming back out Wednesday in their final home match versus local rival Bryn Mawr.

10/10/01 Swarthmore1 - Bryn Mawr 0

The Garnet hope to continue their winning streak against the Bears of Ursinus on Wednesday.

Swarthmore took on Bryn Mawr today in a Centennial Conference match. Swarthmore pulled out the victory 1-0 to bring their season mark to 7-5.

In the last home game for the 2 seniors, Marah Gotcsik(Lima, NY) and Drea Figueroa(Caracas, VEN.) the team came out strong - possessing well and creating some nice opportunities. Unfortunately, the shots were very adept at finding the keepers hands rather than the back of the net. Not until the 84th minute did a cross from Tanya Hahnel(Silver Spring, MD) find the head of Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) for a beautiful goal. In the meantime, the keepers Catherine Salussolia(Lanoka Harbor, NJ) and Courtney Caughey(Seattle, WA) combined for their 7th shutout - a new school record for shutouts in a season.

Swarthmore is looking forward to their final four games of the year.

10/13/01 Swarthmore1 - Western Maryland 2

Swarthmore traveled down to Western Maryland Saturday for their final game before October break. It was a beautiful day for soccer and some good soccer was played but the Garnet came up just short of another conference win, falling 2-1.

Swarthmore met a physical Western Maryland squad and together the teams created some great soccer to watch. With sweeper Ele Forbes(Oreland, PA) going down with an ankle injury early, the rest of the Swarthmore D was asked to step up and step up they did. Katie Schlesinger(New Albany, OH) came in at sweep and provided strong support the rotating outside backs and stoppers. Unfortunately, Western Maryland was able to score off a corner. Keeper Cat Salussolia(Lanoka Harbor, NJ) made the initial save and far post cover, Lizzy Pike(McLean, VA) made the second but the third time was the charm for the Green Terror as they finally found the net. A second goal by Western Maryland found the Garnet going into half time down 2-0.

Swarthmore was ready to roll in the second half as they controlled most of the flow of the game. There were some tremendous combinations by Jackie Kahn(Cohasset, MA) and her midfield support down the left wing. Katey McCaffrey(Pueblo, CO) took a direct kick, created by Jackie, and bent it over the wall toward the near corner only to have miss by inches - bang - off the post. The Garnet didn't let up and continued to build their attack from the back and into the attacking third. A beautiful play down the right wing led to a great diagonal ball from Corey Pilver(Manchester, CT) into the center of the box. Kahn hustled between 2 defenders to aggressively slam the ball home from 12 yards out for the goal. Another ball rolled right across the goal mouth for the Garnet but the tying goal could not be found.

Another great effort for the Garnet that they can be proud of but can't quite hang a win on. Swarthmore is 7-6 entering into the final 3 games of the year. They have a good shot at tying and/or beating the season record of 8 wins.

Swarthmore took on non-conference foe Neumann College today. Swarthmore won 1-0 in the second OT to notch their 8th win on the year, tying the highest win total ever in the history of the college. Previous 8 win seasons were in 1988 and 1989.

10/19/01 Swarthmore1 - Neumann 0 (double OT)

Swarthmore traveled to Neumann by bright yellow school bus and stepped on to the field all bright and cheery as well. Soon they learned they had their work cut out for them. Neumann was a physical team and got a few breaks on the garnet D, but Swarthmore did not cave in. In fact the Garnet more than held their own, created some nice play down the wing and maintaining solid possession. The second half found the Garnet ready to really step it up. Switching the field beautifully, many opportunities were created. A number of players had solid games which lead to some nice soccer on the field. Unfortunately, the ball just wasn't able to find its way between the pipes. Keeper Courtney Caughey(Seattle, WA) came off her line a couple of times down the stretch to thwart Knight counterattacks and keep the game nil-nil. As the Garnet offensive opportunities mounted, the ball seemed to keep finding their keeper's hands. Overtime was upon us with 15 more minutes of Garnet close calls. The crosses were just too close to the goal. So the team teed it up one more time to start the second overtime. Tanya Hahnel(Silver Spring, MD) tipped it to Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) who sent a quick cross to wing Katey McCaffrey(Pueblo, CO) who cut the ball back and sent a nice through ball to Corey Pilver(Manchester, CT) who beat her opponent and sent a driven ball across the goal mouth - Jackie Kahn(Cohasset, MA) lunged at the ball and UGH just missed it BUT there was Myra Vallianos(Monterey, MA) coming in on the far post - she stepped up and BAM nailed a ball into the top of the net. Finally a 1-0 win and an end to my incredibly long run-on sentence.

A nice way to begin Swarthmore's final 3 game stretch. With 2 games to go, the Garnet are hoping to end the season on a strong note.

10/20/01 Swarthmore0 - Dickinson 8

Ahhh, well...today's game...didn't end up quite the way the Garnet would have liked! Swarthmore fell to the Dickinson Red Devils...gulp...8-0. The quick one and two touch play overwhelmed the bus-legged, tired Garnet squad.

On the bright side, it was a beautiful day! This was the first game of the year that the margin of the game was greater than 2 goals, a vast improvement over previous years - and it came the day after a thrilling double overtime victory. The team, all players got in the game, never gave up and played very sportingly and held their heads high throughout. Many players can be noted for their efforts including Rachel Jacobs(Severna Park, MD) who made some nice one-on-one defensive plays and Claire Hoverman(Austin, TX) in her typical hard-working fashion. Ele Forbes(Oreland, PA) also played hard, creating some opportunities in her roving sweeper role. Catherine Salussolia(Lanoka Harbor, NJ) came off her line the best she had all year and made some excellent saves in the effort.

The team is ready to bring it to Tuesday's conference finale versus Haverford. In other news - at least those damn Yankee's are losing!

10/23/01 Swarthmore1 - Haverford 3

Swarthmore ended its 2001 season today with a 3-1 loss to Haverford College.

The game was a back and forth battle. Haverford scored first but Swarthmore came back in the second half. Some outstanding hustle by Jackie Kahn(Cohasset, MA) resulted in a goal after she pressured a clear by the Haverford Sweeper. The clear deflected off of Jackie's body and back into the upper ninety for a sweet goal that was well deserved. The Garnet continued to control play, creating many beautiful combinations. Unfortunately, a controversial non-call on an offsides resulted in surprise for both the Haverford attackers and the Swarthmore defenders. All players stopped for a moment, waiting for the flag but when none came, a Haverford player quickly took a shot to go up 2-1 on the Garnet. Haverford promptly notched another goal in Swarthmore's state of confusion.

The garnet left the field with their heads held high, knowing they had given Haverford a run for their money. Next year Fords, next year.

Swarthmore ends its season 8-8, all 8 games were won by shut-out breaking a school record for shutouts in a year. Additionally, we tied the record for most wins in a year, most wins in a row(5) and for least goals allowed(27). A great year for the Garnet with even higher hopes for next year.