WESTMINSTER, Md. – Playoff hopes have been challenged with Haverford College's Saturday afternoon 1-0 Centennial Conference loss to host McDaniel College. The defeat drops the Fords into a sixth-place tie with the Green Terror in a race for a spot in the five-team postseason league playoff.

Haverford (7-7, 4-4 CC) got off 30 shots, compared to just 12 by McDaniel (10-5, 4-4), but the Fords weren't able to break through to put a mark up on the scoreboard.

Despite a 12-6 shots advantage and 8-3 edge in penalty corner chances during the opening 35-minute period, the Fords were forced to accept a scoreless deadlock as they headed into the halftime break. McDaniel's Paige Messersmith erased the tie ten minutes into second-half play, notching her fourth goal of the season to push the Green Terror to a one-goal lead.

A desperate Fords team ratcheted up the pressure on McDaniel goalkeeper Stephanie Thomson as the clock wound past the 60-minute mark in the contest. Roxanne Jaffe got off a shot late in the 62nd minute which Thomson saved but couldn't control. Mary Hobbs swooped in seconds later and got off a shot clear of Thomson but a Green Terror defender got behind the goalie to steer the shot away.

Hobbs struck again with a prime scoring chance in the 65th but once more, a McDaniel defender was in the right place at the right time behind Thomson to prevent Hobbs' shot from crossing the goal line for the equalizer.

Thomson finished with 12 saves owing part of her shutout victory to a pair of defensive saves from her teammates. Haverford net minder Sydney Hyder stopped five of the six McDaniel shots that reached her but the Messersmith goal proved costly, both in the game and perhaps in the season.

Following Sunday afternoon's non-conference contest at Christopher Newport (Va.) University, the Fords will have two league games remaining on their regular season schedule. First up will be Wednesday's game at Washington College which, at 5-2 in league play, sits above the Fords in the conference standings. The season finale is set for Saturday, Oct. 29 when rival Swarthmore College, tied with the Fords at 4-4 in the standings, visit Swan Field on Senior Day.