HAVERFORD, Pa. - Senior Day produced a win for host Haverford College as its field hockey team clinched a spot in the Centennial Conference postseason tournament with Saturday's 6-1 league victory over local rival Swarthmore College at Swan Field.
Seniors Bryn Bissey, Megan Holt and Megan Reilly contributed a combined total of four goals and an assist for Haverford (9-6, 5-4 CC) in its win over the Garnet (2-14, 0-9).
Reilly helped get the Fords rolling early with an assist on Catherine Aronowitz's goal at the 5:22 mark.
Bissey took her turn next for the senior class, converting a pass from Aronowitz into Haverford's second goal to provide the home team with a 2-0 lead early in the eighth minute.
The advantage stretched to three for Haverford with Holt stepping up next, driving home her seventh goal of the year, this one coming in the 14th minute.
Swarthmore broke the Fords' goal streak with a marker at 24:20 but Holt answered 29 seconds later, tapping in a loose ball that had been blocked by a Garnet defender on a Reilly shot.
The 4-1 halftime lead grew by one early in the second half with an unassisted tally from Jen DiMaria, and then Bissey closed out the scoring in the 63rd, with an assist from DiMaria, knocking in her ninth of the season.
Goalkeeper Lindsey Lopes earned the win in the cage for Haverford, coming up with eight saves against one goal allowed. Her Swarthmore counterpart, Ainsley Parrish, took the loss after allowing all six goals while stopping six shots.
Saturday's victory gives the senior class its 48th win, tying the program record for most victories by a graduating class. The win also clinches a berth in the postseason for a fifth consecutive year, a program first.
The field hockey victory by Haverford also improves the Fords' lead to 2-0 in the Hood Trophy standings, an annual competition between Haverford and Swarthmore, following volleyball's win over the Garnet earlier in the day.
Haverford steps out of conference action in its next game, hosting Main Line rival Eastern University Thursday at 5 p.m., before closing out the regular season with a trip to Allentown, Pa., where it will square off against Muhlenberg College in what will likely be a match-up that determines the home team in a quarterfinal rematch against the Mules.