HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College field hockey team recorded its first Centennial Conference victory of the season with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Gettysburg on Saturday. The Fords (5-5, 1-2 CC) got a goal from Mason McNulty in the 39th minute of play before holding off the Bullets (3-4, 1-3 CC) for the remainder of the contest.
McNulty's goal was the sixth of her season as she has now tallied a goal in four of the Fords' five wins this season. McNulty's goal was also the third game-winning goal this year as she has scored the deciding goals in the Fords' three most recent wins looking back to Immaculata and Misericordia. Paige Carson assisted on the game-winning tally as she extended her team lead in points with her second helper of the year to go along with her six goals.
Gettysburg finished the contest with an 11-6 advantage in shots. This included a 6-2 edge in shots on goal, but six saves from Danielle Rette denied the visitors a chance at a game-tying goal. Rette's shutout was her second of the season.
The Bullets' largest edge in shots came over the first 35 minutes of game action. Nevertheless, Rette was ready from the opening whistle as she made five stops in the first 35 minutes. Haverford's lone shot in the first half was an attempt by Elena Veale sent just wide of goal 15 minutes into game action.
After the teams switched sides, Haverford capitalized on its first scoring chance of the second half as Carson played a perfectly placed ball to McNulty who finished in the bottom right side of net. The Fords kept creating opportunities as they built a 5-4 edge in shots during the second half.
McNulty looked to have her second goal of the afternoon with just over 13 minutes remaining in regulation but a defensive save from Gettysburg prevented the insurance tally. That save nearly loomed large as Gettysburg had a chance in the final minute of play, but Rette denied the Bullet's scoring try that came with 50 seconds on the clock.
Field hockey will now gear up for a pair of nationally-ranked teams in the upcoming week as the Fords travel to No. 4 Ursinus on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and host No. 6 Franklin & Marshall on Saturday (12 p.m.).