RADNOR, Pa. – The Haverford College men's lacrosse team opened the 2017 season on Saturday against No. 8 Cabrini. The Fords found their composure during the second half, outscoring the Cavaliers by an 8-6 margin over the final 30 minutes. However, that was not enough to overcome the 7-2 first half deficit they were facing in an eventual 13-10 defeat.
The Haverford attack came from all angles as eight different players scored a goal. Jack Sollee and Ben Frost each had two goals to tie for the team lead, while Stephen DeLeo and Garret Trucksess each recorded a goal and an assist. Frost's tallies were a part of his first multi-goal game at Haverford, while Sollee has now scored twice in two different games over his career. Cabrini was led by three goals and three assists from Tyler Kostack. Timmy Brooks and Evan Downey also had hat tricks for the hosts.
Cabrini started the contest by scoring the first two goals but the Fords finally got some momentum going their way in the first quarter with four shots in 46 seconds of game action. They broke through when Sollee scooped up a ground ball off the shot of Rob McLallen and beat the goalie to make the score 2-1. However, the Cavaliers denied any thoughts of a first half comeback by scoring the next five goals during a stretch that reached into the second quarter.
The Fords got one of those back before the break as Jake Ephron scooped up a ground ball following a Cabrini turnover. After a successful clear, Mitch Hagan found Stephen DeLeo with 6:36 left in the half to make the score 7-2. That score would hold for the remainder of the half
Haverford opened the third quarter with a goal as Trucksess was set up by Chase Williams just over a minute into the period. That goal came just moments after PJ Jackson forced a turnover on the defensive end of the field. Nevertheless, Cabrini answered within a minute. The Fords again cut the deficit to four as Tetro found the back of the net with 8:11 in the third quarter, but two more tallies from the Cavaliers finished that period with the scoreboard showing a 10-4 edge for the hosts.
Undeterred by that margin, Haverford was stifled for over seven minutes in the fourth quarter but the Fords' attack line erupted for three goals in a span of 1:42. Jack Russ' goal after a pass from Noah Hollander set up the first goal. Sollee tallied his second goal of the game with the help of Trucksess before Sollee then caused a turnover on the defensive end. That play eventually resulted in Frost finding his first of two goals in the final period.
After climbing within three goals and still having 6:13 on the clock to work with, the two sides traded the next four goals. PJ Jackson scored his first career goal off a faceoff win and subsequent assist from Zack Cohen. Isaac Krier also found the back of the net to bring the game back within three goals, but with only 47 seconds remaining. Each side scored once more in that remaining time as Frost's man-up goal was the final tally in the 13-10 season opener.
Despite being outscored, Haverford did have the bulk of the offensive chances as it held a 43-33 edge in shots for the contest. The Fords also held the statistical advantage in faceoffs with Cohen going 12-of-22 and Charlie Russ winning four of his five draws. Cohen finished with a team-leading eight ground balls on the day. Dylan Slack made nine saves for the Fords in his first collegiate start.
Men's lacrosse will now prepare for its home opener next Saturday, February 25 when Eastern comes to Swan Field for a 1 p.m. faceoff.