SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- In a seesaw game that featured five ties and three lead changes, Nick Gagnon found Will Siefert for a golden goal to lift Roger Williams to an 8-7 victory against Swarthmore on Wednesday at Clothier Field.
The Garnet, who never led in the second half, fought back to tie the game at 7-all when senior Geli Csrabases caused a turnover at midfield and set up sophomore Alex Scott for a goal in transition with 3:51 left. Despite losing the ensuing faceoff, senior goalkeeper Jonathan Cohen made one of his 14 saves to eventually allow the hosts to have the ball in their offensive zone during the waning minutes.
After three shot Garnet attempts were unsuccessful and each team called a timeout with the ball still in the hands of Swarthmore, the hosts had one more chance to net the game-winning goal in regulation. Brendan Conway received a pass from junior Andrew Preiser, who was working from behind the net, and unleashed a rocket in the waning seconds that beat junior goalkeeper Luke Aubrey. However, the shot on a golden opportunity clanked off the left pipe and bounced all the way towards the middle of the field.
Swarthmore won the opening face-off in overtime, but the Garnet turned the ball over which gave the Hawks a chance to eventually set up their offense. The visitors eventually capitalized when Gagnon sent a pass from behind the goal to Siefert, who finished with a shot that beat Cohen to the top half of the net.
The game started as a defensive battle, as neither side was able to get on the board until junior Chris Thomson found Conway for a strike with 3:58 on the clock. Sophomore attack Tim Kelly then responded with two consecutive goals to begin the back-and-forth battle. A man-up goal by junior Mike Hanna tied the game at 3s before Kelly found the back of the net to give the Hawks a 4-3 edge and the lead for good heading into the break.
Kelly finished with a game-high five points on four goals and one assist to lead the way for Roger Williams (4-1). Aubrey made 12 saves to pick up the victory in net. Conway led a balanced offense that featured six goal scorers for Swarthmore by netting two markers. The Garnet won 12 of 19 face-offs and had a 33-31 edge in total shots. Ground balls were even at 34 apiece with Mike Selverian recording five to lead all players.
