SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Trailing 1-0 and just seconds to play, Brady Seitz stunned rival Swarthmore with a goal off a corner kick with just two seconds left on the clock. The Fords (9-6-1, 4-4-1 CC) and Garnet (9-6-3, 3-5-1 CC) would eventually draw by that 1-1 margin after 110 minutes of soccer.
Although the scoreboard showed an even draw at the final buzzer, the feeling on the sideline was anything but equal. With that last second goal and eventual draw, Haverford earned the right to host the Centennial Conference opening round game against Johns Hopkins this coming Wednesday. Two seconds away from clinching a home Centennial Conference game, Swarthmore saw its season come to a close with today's result.
The first half was controlled by the Garnet on their home field as they were faced with a must win situation to advance. With that added pressure, Swarthmore came out firing on all cylinders and held a 6-0 advantage in shots and 10-0 edge in corner kicks over the first 45 minutes. That offensive pressure led to a Garnet goal in the 38th minute when Alec McClean finished a diving header from Wyatt McCall on a free kick just outside the box.
The Fords began to find their rhythm in the second half and would hold a 7-4 edge in shots during that time. Prior to tying the game at one-all, Seitz took three of those other shots in the half as well. Before the eventual game-tying goal, the Fords' best chance to score during the second stanza came when Seitz got his head on another crossing pass but had his shot deflected out of bounds on a great diving save.
However, that relentless work in the air from Seitz finally paid off with just two seconds remaining. Racing just to get the corner put in play before the buzzer signaled the end of the game, Will Corkery found Seitz on the far post for the header and his 11th goal of the season. Corkery was credited with his team-leading sixth assist on the goal.
In the overtime sessions, each side took three shots over the two extra periods. Sam Miller made one save in the second overtime session to finish his night with five saves. Swarthmore keeper Tyler Zon made two saves, finishing his night with four stops.
After a commanding statistical advantage in shots during the first 45 minutes, the Garnet held just a 13-10 advantage in shots after the overtime frames. Seitz took a match-high five shots for Haverford, while five other players took a single shot.
With a spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament firmly nailed down, the Fords will now prepare for Johns Hopkins this Wednesday. Haverford earned the right to host this game via a fourth place finish in the regular season while Johns Hopkins earns the fifth seed after winning the tiebreak against Ursinus. Wednesday's game time will be determined on Monday. Haverford was a 2-0 winner against Johns Hopkins when the two teams met on October 1 on Walton Field.