HAVERFORD, Pa. - The 20th-ranked Haverford College Field Hockey team (12-2, 5-2 CC) recorded a fourth consecutive Centennial Conference win, turning away Washington College (5-9, 1-6 CC) by a 1-0 final on Wednesday night at Swan Field. With three regular season contests remaining, the Fords have already won their most games in a campaign since the 2012 season.
The contest was a defensive battle, with Haverford dominating possession in the early goings despite not finding a goal in the first half. The Fords rocketed four shots in the opening quarter, adding two more salvos before the halftime intermission as Haverford held a 5-0 penalty corner advantage going into the break.
Haverford finally broke through in the fourth quarter, with a tally in the 54th minute. After an unsuccessful penalty corner try, a long hit off the restart saw Rachel Marlin deliver a one-time centering pass to Delaney Snowden. Snowden then found Olivia Ahart in the circle, and Ahart dribbled through traffic before slotting a perfectly-placed pass of her own to Ravenel Davis waiting down low near cage on the wing. Davis tamped down the pass and then beat the Washington College goalkeeper towards the near post to open the scoring for Haverford.
Davis was awarded her Centennial-leading 16th goal of the season while Ahart continued her battle for the conference's assist title, registering her ninth of the season. Davis was credited with the game-winning goal, her eighth of the season, a new single-season record for the program. Davis is on pace for the best goals per game mark in program history, with 1.14 per contest this season.
The 54th minute strike was the last shot for either side as Haverford used a stifling defensive pressure to keep the Shorewomen from earning a corner. Washington put all three of its shot attempts on target, but Hannah Roth had another standout effort between the pipes, tallying three saves in her fifth shutout of the season. She currently leads the Centennial Conference in save percentage as she has tallied every minute in the cage this season for the Fords. Sasha Dennis made four saves in a solid 60 minutes for the visitors.
Haverford has now won four consecutive meetings against the Shorewomen. The Fords now return to action with a Saturday late afternoon contest at Gettysburg. The first pass on The Battlefield is slated for 3:30 p.m.