HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford Field hockey team was defeated by No. 18 Muhlenberg on Wednesday night at Swan Field, as the Mules edged the Fords 3-2 under the lights. Haverford received goals from Elena Veale and Natalie Leslie in the contest. The Fords sit at 4-5 (0-2 Centennial) after the loss while Muhlenberg stays unbeaten at 8-0 (3-0 Centennial) with the victory.
The Mules got on the scoreboard first in the 11th minute of action. After three straight penalty corner attempts, the Muhlenberg offense scored from the open field as Rachel Strow saw her initial shot attempt blocked by Danielle Rette, but put back the rebound for a 1-0 lead. In the 25th minute, Muhlenberg had a great scoring chance, but Taylor Smith had a shot attempt hit the post of the cage.
Haverford had an answer in the 27th minute of play as Paige Powell crossed a pass in to Elena Veale, who finished towards the far post for the equalizer at 1-1. Muhlenberg took the lead that would hold at halftime with a 30th minute strike. Taylor Smith scooped up the rebound from an Alyssa Scott miss and fired home for the 2-1 advantage.
Muhlenberg held a 10-5 shots lead at the intermission and out cornered the hosts 6-2. Rette had four saves in the opening 35 minutes of play.
The Mules extended the lead to 3-1 in the 45th minute as Anna Kennedy found Emily Boyle off a penalty corner. Haverford took a timeout immediately following the conversion, and was able to cut to within 3-2 on its very next shot. After earning a penalty corner in the 47th minute, Natalie Leslie was tasked with inserting the pass for the Fords. The pass found the Muhlenberg defense, but Leslie stole the ball away from the charging back line and was able to flip it into goal.
Unfortunately for Haverford, the goal would hold as the last of the contest. The Fords had an offensive flurry with penalty corners in the 63rd and 67th minutes, but a Leslie shot sailed wide. Rette made two saves to preserve just the one-goal deficit, turning away shots from Boyle and Strow in the 58th and 59th minutes, respectively.
Muhlenberg outshot Haverford 14-8 and registered 11 penalty corners to seven for the Fords. Strow had five shots to lead all field players while Leslie's three were the high for the hosts.
Haverford will next host Gettysburg at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 1 as Centennial Conference Play continues at Swan Field.