ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Haverford College field hockey team was edged, 1-0, during its Centennial Conference opener inside Scotty Wood Stadium at Muhlenberg College on Wednesday evening. Haverford is now 4-2 on the season (0-1 CC) in defeat while the Mules improve to 2-4 (1-0 CC) with the victory. Hannah Roth recorded four saves and the Fords' backline proved a vital role, notching two defensive saves and successfully defending a barrage of Muhlenberg corners.

Muhlenberg scored in the 25th minute after Courtney Allen found the stick of corner inputter Morgan Tietz on the left side of the cage. Tietz bested Roth towards the near post as the hosts opened up the scoring and a 1-0 advantage. The Fords had chances to equalize with a pair of penalty corners in the 32nd minute, but were unable to find the back of the cage as Ravenel Davis had a shot attempt blocked in the sequence. 

After halftime, Muhlenberg was denied a chance to grow its lead to 2-0 as Alissa Valentine notched a defensive save during the 36th minute of play. In the 47th minute, Caroline Aronowitz also defended a ball off the back line for the Fords. 

With a renewed sense of urgency, the Fords earned three penalty corners over the final 11 minutes of action. The Fords played shorthanded for a stretch after Emma Iacobucci served a yellow card, but Rylee Fennell and Casey Wakai each had shot attempts saved by Muhlenberg goalkeeper Jordan Segrave in the final minutes of play. 

Muhlenberg proved to be tough inside the circle with a stout defensive effort that helped Segrave pick up the shutout. Muhlenberg held a slight 11-8 edge in shots, and a 14-6 advantage in penalty corners earned. The meeting between the two teams was decided by one goal for the fifth consecutive matchup dating back to the 2013 Centennial Conference Tournament. 

Centennial Conference play continues as the Fords host No. 11 Franklin & Marshall on Saturday afternoon. The contest on Swan Field is slated to begin at noon.