HAVERFORD, Pa. – After a one-year hiatus, the Haverford College field hockey team will return to the Centennial Conference playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons this week.
The No. 3 seeded Fords (11-6, 7-3 CC) will take on the No. 2 seeded and No. 5 nationally ranked Ursinus College Bears (15-3, 9-1 CC) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on the campus of Franklin and Marshall. The top seeded Franklin and Marshall Diplomats (15-2, 10-0 CC), ranked No. 4 in the country, will host the No. 4/5 seed, the Muhlenberg College Mules (12-5, 7-3 CC), Dickinson Red Devils (12-6, 6-4 CC) on Saturday at noon. The championship game will be on Sunday at 1 p.m.
After two straight losses to drop to 1-2 on the season, Haverford rattled off a six-game winning streak which was tied for the fourth longest in program history. During that stretch, sophomore Elena Veale (Offensive) and senior Allison Martin (Defensive) were picked as the conference players of the week (Oct. 5) while the team received some national attention by receiving votes in the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) poll.
Following a three-game losing streak, Haverford got back to its winning ways as it won three consecutive games including the playoff clincher at McDaniel (Oct. 24). In that game vs. the Green Terror, Veale scored her first career hat trick. The Fords finished the regular season with a 4-2 win on Senior Day over Hood Trophy rival, Swarthmore. Senior goalkeeper Lindsey Lopes recorded her 30th career win in the contest, setting a new program record.
Veale had banner season, leading the team in goals (12) and points (26). The sophomore scored four game-winning goals, which is one shy of the all-time mark. Senior Sarah Waldis reestablished new personal highs with nine goals, five assists and 23 points. Earlier this season, the senior captain was selected as the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 21) for the first time in her career. Sophomore Paige Carson also added some offensive punch with nine goals, two assists (20 points), and two game-winning tallies. Eight other players for Haverford scored a goal this season. Lopes was the main goaltender for the Fords with 15 starts, a 1.99 goals against average and 11 wins this year.
The host, F&M, has a lot of offensive firepower, placing inside the top ten nationally (ninth) in goals per game (4.00). Maria Guarisco is the team's leading scorer with 38 points while Sydney Cole is another threat for the Diplomats as she has six goals and five assists. F&M has a spectacular goalie in Illiana Santangelo, who's fourth among Division III players in goals against average (.65), having allowed just eight goals in 14 games. The Diplomats are on a 10-game winning streak.
Ursinus is led by Megan Keenan's conference-high 51 points. Keenan is first among Centennial foes in assists (19) and second in goals (17). Her 2.83 points per game is 11th best in Division III. The Bears have a stellar offense with 4.50 goals per game, fourth highest in the nation. Other contributors include Amber Steigerwalt, who is fifth in the Centennial in points (34) and Danielle Stong (25 points).
Catherine Perlmutter paces the Dickinson offense with 12 goals, five assists and 29 points. Perlmutter is tied for eighth in the Centennial Conference in goals and seventh in points. Merritt Davis' 12 assists is second best in the conference and is the ninth best among Division III players.
The Fords are 5-5 all-time in the Centennial Conference playoffs, highlighted by two trips to the conference finals (2010, 2012). Ursinus is 2-0 against Haverford in the playoffs including a 6-3 win in the 2010 Centennial Conference Championship. The Bears have won 10 of the last 11 conference titles. The Fords were taken down by the Bears, 4-1 earlier this season at Swan Field.
The winner of this week's tournament will received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. For more information, check out the Championship Central link at the top of the page.