HAVERFORD, Pa. - A defensive struggle played out at Swan Field Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference field hockey action with visiting Dickinson College coming away with a 1-0 victory over host Haverford College in the league opener for both teams.
Dickinson (2-2, 1-0 CC) notched the game's only goal at the 6:28 mark of the first half on it's second shot of the game. Haverford (2-2, 0-1) goalie Lindsey Lopes had stopped the Red Devils' opening shot off a penalty corner chance three minutes earlier but the visitor's were able to break in front on a score from Catherine Pelmutter off a feed from Kendal Packo.
The teams traded shots over the remaining minutes of first-half action with Lopes and Dickinson's Katy Schlechtweg trading saves. Both squads went into the halftime break having generated only three shots apiece with Lopes coming up with two saves while Schlechtweg came up with one.
Ten minutes into the second half the Fords were able to generate a scoring chance but Jen DiMaria's shot hit the post and Brenna Boehman's shot off the rebound was blocked.
There were only three more shots, but all on goal, after that. Lopes stopped both of Dickinson's attempts and Schlechtweg stopped the Fords' Catherine Aronowitz on the final shot in the contest near the end of the 59th minute.
Haverford hits the road for its next outing, a Wednesday night non-conference game on Sept. 18 at 7th-ranked Messiah College.