Box Score SWARTHMORE, Pa. – A pair of late second-half goals lifted the No. 6 Franklin & Marshall men's soccer team to a 2-0 shutout of No. 18 Swarthmore on Saturday afternoon to open Centennial Conference (CC) play.
The Diplomats improved to 6-0-1, 1-0-0 CC, while the Garnet suffered their first loss of the season and dropped to 6-1-0, 0-1-0 CC.
With the score knotted at 0-0 in the 79th minute, Jared Bomba collected the ball after a scramble in the box and sent a shot into the back of the net to give F&M the late advantage.
Clinging to the one-goal lead late in the second frame, Janse Schermerhorn added some insurance after Bomba sent a cross that the freshman forward tapped in to put the contest out of reach.
The game served as a rematch of last year's CC Semifinal matchup that saw the Diplomats come away with a thrilling 2-1 victory; ending Swarthmore's season. Fierce pressure from the F&M offense and steady play in net from goalkeeper Trevor Britton denied the Garnet any chance of revenge on Saturday.
The Diplomats held the advantage on shots at 19-12, including a dominant 13-5 edge in the second frame. Schermerhorn paced the offense with four shots, followed by three from Chris Scott.
Britton (6-0-1) recorded three saves for his fifth shutout of the season. His counterpart Tyler Zon was dealt the loss after allowing two goals and registering four saves.
Bomba's game-winning goal was the sixth of his career, moving him into a tie for third on the program's all-time list. The record belongs to Ben Beaver '13, who notched 20 in his storied career.
F&M returns to non-conference action on Tuesday when the Diplomats travel to Stevenson for a 7:00 p.m. showdown.
