SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Sophomore
Joelle Ma buried a penalty kick with 80:47 off the clock to lift the third-seeded Dickinson women's soccer team to Sunday's Centennial Conference Championship thanks to a 1-0 win over the second seed and 17th-ranked Swarthmore College Garnet at Clothier Field on Friday night.
First Half
- The Dickinson defense was put under duress early with Liesel Blau, Charlotte Carleton, Ava Gizzie and Celia Kanellakos forcing Pico Gray into one stop with 15 minutes gone.
- Over the ensuing ten minutes both keepers were called into action with Gray stopping both Blau and Gizzie, while at the other end Anna Bitsko was turned aside by Sofie Aird.
- At the half hour mark DC built on the Bitsko chance as Ivana Vukas and Bridget Merkel were stopped by Aird. Megan Lomotan and Ma each had a blast climb over the top of Aird.
- Gray would be busy late in the period when a corner kick for the Garnet resulted in three shots two of which were denied by Gray to bring half to a close.
Second Half
- Ava Prisco tried her luck in minutes 47 and 53, but her offerings went wide of Aird.
- Swarthmore answered back with the next five shots leading to just one more stop by Gray keeping it scoreless as the match entered the final ten minutes.
- In the 81st, a corner kick played to the top of the box landed on the foot of Maddie Kraft-Williams. She brought the ball under control and tried to dribble in for a shot, but Anwen Reed stuck her leg out and tripped up the Devil resulting in a penalty kick. Ma stepped up to the spot and slid the ball just inside the right post out of the reach of Aird for a 1-0 lead.
- Gray was called on one last time two minutes later shutting down Gizzie to send the Red and White to the title match.
Dickinson Leaders
- Goal - Ma (1)
- Shots - Bitsko, Ma and Prisco (2)
- Saves - Gray (7)
Opponent Leaders
- Shots - Gizzie (7), Carleton (4), Kanellakos (3)
- Saves - Aird (3)
Up Next
- Dickinson (14-2-4) will head to Baltimore on Sunday for the Centennial Conference Championship match against top-seeded Johns Hopkins University. Kickoff between the Devils and Blue Jays is set for 12pm at Homewood Field.
