Sterngold's Golden Goal Gives No. 14 Swarthmore Men's Soccer 2-1 Victory Over No. 16 Muhlenberg (2OT)
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - There was a serious feeling of deja vu from Clothier Field Stadium on Wednesday evening, as senior David Sterngold scored the golden goal in the second overtime (103rd minute) to lift the No. 14 Swarthmore College men's soccer team (6-2, 2-1) past No. 16 Muhlenberg 2-1 in a critical early-season conference battle.
The ending of the game was eerily similar to that of the 2010 Centennial Conference Championship match - also from Clothier Field Stadium - in which Kieran Reichert scored the game-winning goal in the 107th minute to give the Garnet a 2-1 win over the Mules (5-2, 1-2).
Senior Fabian Castro gave the Garnet the lead in the 52nd minute with his third goal of the season. Freshman Geoffrey Stewart assisted on both of Swarthmore's goals, including an excellent cross to the middle of the box to set up the game-winner.
Muhlenberg's Josh Luginbuhl tied the game in the 81st minute on a breakaway after Swarthmore goalkeeper David D'Annunzio misplayed a pass.
The win snapped the Garnet's two-game losing streak. The victory also extended the Garnet's home unbeaten streak to 31 matches and moved its record against nationally-ranked opponents to a Centennial-best 9-5-1.
Swarthmore dominated the play throughout - outshooting the Mules 20-2 - but were in a dogfight for nearly 103 minutes. In the first half alone, the Garnet out-shot the Mules 9-0 and maintained possession nearly the entire 45 minutes, yet came away with nothing to show for it.
The Garnet's fortune changed early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Geoffrey Stewart's long, curving shot from the left wing required a great save from a diving Mule goalkeeper Ari Nutovits. While Nutovits was able to deny Stewart's chance, he could do nothing to stop the shot of an unmarked Castro, who was waiting near the right post to collect the loose ball and hammer home the first goal of the game.
With the 1-0 lead, Swarthmore appeared as if it would cruise to the win, as it continued to control the play. But the game turned in an instant in the 81st minute when D'Annunzio mishandled a Muhlenberg throughball. The ball got past D'Annunzio and landed at the feet of a streaking Luginbuhl on the left wing. He dribbled in unopposed to score the easy goal, making it a 1-1 game.
After scoreless first overtime session with few scoring opportunities for either side, the game appeared headed to draw. Then nearly three minutes into the second and final overtime, Swarthmore found its golden moment once again. Stewart crossed a ball into the center of the box for Sterngold, who collected the ball and scored from 14-yards out in traffic, winning the game for the Garnet.
Nutovits made seven saves to keep 'Berg in the match.
Sterngold's goal was his team-leading sixth of the season.
Swarthmore returns to Centennial action on Saturday when it travels to McDaniel. Play is set for 3:30 p.m.
