LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's soccer team dropped its second Centennial Conference match of the season by a 1-0 score to Swarthmore. In both of the Diplomats' conference defeats, a penalty kick has been the team's undoing. On Saturday, the deciding penalty kick came with just 9:38 remaining in regulation time.
Swarthmore finished the contest with a 12-6 advantage in shots, but Diplomat goalie Diego Moreno handled the slick field conditions well and finished the contest with four saves. The Diplomats began to pick up the offensive tempo and had their best chance of the afternoon during the 70th minute of play when Alex Ardizzone's attempt at the go-ahead was thwarted by Garnet keeper Colin Crowe from close range.
That attempt was the first of three F&M shots during the final 20 minutes of game action as Nico Palacios saw his attempt knocked down by the Swarthmore defense and Max Gall watched his header off the corner kick travel over the crossbar. Franklin & Marshall did hold an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks throughout the afternoon.
The Diplomats' shot attempts from the first half came from Nick Lutsky and Caden Darby who were unable to crack the defense. The Garnet's eventual game came when Jay Johnston got himself in 1v1 situation with the goalie before being taken down on a sliding effort. Joost Almekinders stepped to the PK spot and ultimately delivered his team the 1-0 victory.
Men's soccer will be back on the road this coming Wednesday as the Diplomats seek their first conference victory at Washington College. That match in Chestertown will be a 7 p.m. start under the lights before F&M returns home next Saturday for a noon showdown with Dickinson.
