EWING, N.J. - The TCNJ women's soccer team was back home to host Swarthmore in non-conference action Saturday afternoon, trading goals in the first half before the second stanza was played to a stalemate en route to a 1-1 tie against the 13th-ranked Garnet.
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The Lions (3-0-1) took just over four minutes to open the scoring in Saturday's contest when
Olivia Hnat won the ball in the midfield and slid a pass between Swarthmore's backline toward
Jenny Ward. The junior – who shares the team lead with three assists thus far – did the rest herself this time, taking one touch to beat the Garnet's keeper before slotting the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0 Lions.
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The sides traded chances over the ensuing 15 minutes as TCNJ looked to double its lead while Swarthmore searched for an equalizer, but it was the visitors winning the battle via an Ava Gizzie goal at the 24:46 mark to level things at one.
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The Garnet rode that momentum to a strong final 20 minutes of the opening half, but it was
Ellen Williams making a trio of saves to keep it a 1-1 game at the break.
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The Lions generated the first two chances of the second half off the feet of
Katie Naughton and
Emily Weidner, but both were handled by Swarthmore's Sofie Aird. Williams had her number called four more times down the stretch, answering the call every time – including a number of acrobatic saves – en route to her a season-best nine saves before the final whistle ended things level at Lions Stadium.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- TCNJ finished with a 19-16 advantage in shots, but it was the Garnet holding a 10-8 edge in shots on goal.
- The Lions took five corners to Swarthmore's three.
- Maggie Murphy and Weinder shared the team-lead with three shots apiece, while Gizzie fired off a game-high eight – five on frame – for the Garnet.
NOTES
- Ward has registered either a goal or assist in each of TCNJ's first four games.
- The junior paces the team in assists (3) and ranks second in goals (2) and points (7).
- Hnat registered her first collegiate point with her assist on Ward's opening goal.
- Williams made a season-high nine saves, including five in the second half.
UP NEXT
- The Lions will open up a two-game road trip Saturday, Sept. 19 when they travel north to take on Ithaca. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
