WESTMINSTER, Md. – The Haverford College field hockey team dropped a 1-0 decision to McDaniel on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Green Terror despite owning a 19-2 advantage in penalty corners and an 8-1 advantage in shots. McDaniel converted on its only shot attempt of the contest to escape with a home victory.
McDaniel struck in the 17th minute after being awarded its first penalty corner. Megan Quattrone was able to scoop a loose ball in front of the goalmouth, slotting it past Hannah Roth for a 1-0 lead to the Green Terror.
From that point on, Haverford was in full control of the rhythm of the contest, with the vast majority of play occurring in the Haverford attacking third. Paige Ford made a save on Roxy Vassighi's attempt on cage in the 25th minute and the McDaniel defense successfully defend a corner awarded after the halftime buzzer, clearing the ball out of danger to preserve the lead going into the intermission.
Haverford kept up near constant pressure on McDaniel in the second half, earning corner after corner while McDaniel was forced to batten down the hatches defensively. Casey Wakai got a shot off in the 42nd minute that Ford was able to turn away, and Vassighi had an attack headed towards frame blocked in the 48th. Mason McNulty appeared to have a strong scoring chance in front of the goalmouth, but her attempt sailed just wide in the 56th minute.
Hoping to regroup and develop a strategy to get the ball in the back of the cage, the Fords called for timeout in the 67th and attempted to tweak the corner offense to draw McDaniel defenders away from the goal. Ravenel Davis fired a shot on cage in the 68th, but Ford was there to make the save. With an aggressive control of possession and a stifling defense that kept McDaniel on its half of the field, Haverford was able to earn one last corner effort in the 70th minute. A strong shot from Davis went just wide of the cage, allowing McDaniel to regain possession and dribble out the clock, sending the Fords to a heartbreaking road loss.
Ford was called upon to make five saves in total for McDaniel. Vassighi, McNulty, and Davis had two shots each to lead Haverford.
The Fords will now head to Boston, facing off with No. 3 Tufts for the first time in program history on Wednesday, October 17 at 5 p.m. The matchup with the Jumbos will be the program's first game in Massachusetts since the 2005 Seven Sisters Tournament at Wellesley College. Centennial Conference action resumes on Saturday, October 20 at 12:30 p.m. as Haverford hosts Dickinson on Senior Day at Swan Field.