LANCASTER, Pa. – Haverford College had earned its way into the semifinal round of the Centennial Conference tournament for the fifth straight season, but the Fords' playoff march came to an end Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 loss to host and seventh-ranked Franklin & Marshall College.
Brenna Boehman scored her first goal of the year for Haverford (11-8) late in Saturday's contest but the marker wasn't enough after the Diplomats (17-1) had built a 3-0 cushion.
The Fords withstood a nearly constant attack in first-half action, keeping F&M off the scoreboard despite the home team generating the initial 14 shots of the game. And the Diplomats' first goal on their 15th shot was credited as an own goal against Haverford after a shot from outside the circle by Juliet Dalton was touched by Haverford goalie Lindsey Lopes before deflecting into the cage in the game's 25th minute.
Trailing only 1-0 at the intermission was a positive for the Fords who have been a second-half team all season, but a 48-second stretch in the early moments of the second half proved costly for upset-minded Haverford.
Franklin & Marshall picked up a goal from Lauren Eastman at 37:30 then added another on its next shot 48 seconds later when Katie Cecere made it 3-0 in favor of the home team.
The Fords were able to break through for a goal in the 52nd minute when Megan Holt earned position in the circle then dished to Boehman who blasted her shot past F&M goalie Avery Koep to cut into the deficit.
That would be the penultimate attacking push for Haverford, though, as it only generated one more scoring chance coming in the game's final minute of the contest when a Holt shot sailed wide of the post.
Lopes made seven saves for Haverford as her teammates were able to steer most of F&M's 29 shots wide of the cage. Koep earned the win for the Diplomats with one save against one goal allowed.
Saturday's loss ends Haverford's hopes for another game in the Centennial playoffs, but the Fords are on the radar for an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament which will announce it's playoff brackets on Monday.