BRYN MAWR, Pa. – The Haverford College field hockey team (7-7, 3-4 Centennial) registered a 5-0 Centennial Conference victory over Bryn Mawr (0-13, 0-8 Centennial) in a battle between Bi-Co institutions on Thursday afternoon at Applebee Field on the Bryn Mawr campus. Five different goal scorers found the back of the cage for the Fords, who rotated in a group of players seeing their first extended action of the 2016 campaign.
The Fords got on the scoreboard first, displaying prowess and intensity from the initial whistle. Bryn Mawr was able to get some of the possession in the early minutes, but the back line stifled any thought of a scoring threats in the early going.
In the sixth minute of action, Mason McNulty broke out down the right side from midfield, entered the circle and shot from in front of the goalmouth for her seventh of the season, giving Haverford the eventual game-winning goal early in the contest. The goal came on just the second shot attempt of the game.
The Fords doubled the advantage to 2-0 in the 15th minute as Caroline Aronowitz made a run down the right side of the field and sent in a cross to the circle. Alexandra Fascione-Hutchins was able to tip in the attempt, picking up her first goal of the season with the assist going to Aronowitz.
Moments later, Lucy Tortolani scooped up a loose ball and punched a goal home in the 18th minute to Fords a 3-0 cushion. Shortly before the halftime break, Casey Wakai found the back of the cage, taking a pass from Nicole Witte and finishing her first career tally with a reverse in front of goal.
The Fords used a stout defensive effort to keep Bryn Mawr from entering the attacking third for the majority of the half. At the halftime break, Haverford held a 7-0 shot advantage and a 3-0 advantage in penalty corners. Angela Meng made one save for the Owls in the opening stanza.
The second half went scoreless until the 69th minute of play, as Meng made three saves and the Owls backline added a defensive save. Haverford made it 5-0 with a goal from Rylee Fennell, the first of her career. Fennell took an Alissa Valentine pass from the right side and finished towards the far post, besting Meng who was briefly out of position.
Haverford's five goal outburst matches the most goals the team has put together this season in a single game, equaling a 5-0 win against Immaculata on Sept. 14. The Fords outshot Bryn Mawr 15-0 and held a 10-0 corner advantage in the matinee.
Haverford will next host McDaniel in another key Centennial showdown on Saturday at noon. Last season, Haverford took down McDaniel 5-3 to clinch a playoff berth. The match is a crucial one at Swan Field as Haverford will look to improve its positioning in the hunt for the Centennial Conference Playoffs. Both squads sit at 3-4 in conference action.
The match is also Senior Day, an opportunity to honor seniors Abby Frerotte, Nicole Witte, Natalie Leslie, Sarah Lambros and Sarah Betti. The Class of 2017 has qualified for two Centennial Conference playoff berths and has 37 wins in its four years on the Haverford campus.