BOX SCORE

Swarthmore, Pa. (Oct. 31, 2011) - The venue was a little different than originally anticipated, but the results were something Alvernia University (14-3-1, 6-1) has been getting used to as Eric Franks (Reading, Pa./Exeter) scored his ninth goal of the season and Ben Diller (Etters, Pa./Red Land) set a single-season record with his ninth shutout of the year with a 1-0 win over Arcadia University (9-8-1, 3-3-1) Monday evening in Commonwealth Conference men's soccer action hosted by Swarthmore College.

The Alvernia campus has been without power since Saturday when a rare October snowstorm pelted the northeast forcing the campus to close at least through Tuesday.  Local power companies estimated more than a half a million customers were without power at some point due to the storm.

The decision was finalized early Monday to move the game to Swarthmore.  The Knights needed a win to get into the playoffs while the Crusaders had already locked down a home playoff game and were just unsure of their opponent.

Arcadia opened strong with the first three shots of the game, but Diller stopped the two that were on frame--he finished the night with six saves.  Both teams finished the first half with three shots each, but neither found the back of the net.

Franks broke through on his second shot of the second half just over nine minutes after the break.  Freshman Joe Raymond (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) broke away from the Arcadia defense and found the Crusaders' leading goal-scorer with a well-place pass.

Diller needed three more saves to preserve the shutout after the Franks goal including one with under three minutes to play.

Alvernia will enter the Commonwealth playoffs as the #2 seed and host #3 Lebanon Valley Thursday at 7:00 p.m.  Elizabethtown College, the #4 seed, will travel to #1 Messiah College in the other semifinal.

Alvernia 1, Arcadia 0