HAVERFORD, Pa. – For three quarters, the Haverford College men's lacrosse team had No. 7 Cabrini on the ropes as the Fords took a 5-4 advantage into the final period. However, the nationally-ranked Cavaliers scored all six goals in the final quarter to close out a 10-5 victory in the season opener for both teams.
Ben Frost and Patrick Girard each scored a pair of goals while Isaac Krier also tallied in the home opener. For the visiting Cavaliers, Division III National Preseason Player of the Year Jordan Krug led his team with three goals and two assists. He was held in check for most of the afternoon until scoring two goals and assisting on another during the final period.
Cabrini got the early jump on the Fords with two goals to start the day. However, the Fords roared back with four straight goals of their own as they held the visitors off the scoreboard for over 20 minutes between the first and second quarters. Patrick Girard got Haverford on the board off a feed from Isaac Krier to open the scoring with 4:22 left in the first.
Haverford really turned up the pressure in the second period with goals from Krier and Frost coming just over a minute apart. Haverford went up 4-2 for its largest lead when Girard finished his second goal off an assist from first year Brian Geffroy in his collegiate debut. Cabrini snuck back within a goal with just 55 seconds left in the half to make the score 4-3 after 30 minutes.
Frost found the back of the net for his second goal on Saturday with a feed from Stephen DeLeo just 3:35 into the third quarter as Haverford matched its largest lead of the day. Cabrini cut the lead back to a single goal just over two minutes later before its big fourth quarter sealed the comeback victory.
Dylan Slack loomed large in goal for the Fords as he stopped 17 shots, including six during the second quarter when Haverford pulled in front. Face-offs also loomed large in the fourth quarter. Zack Cohen won seven of his 10 attempts at the draw, but Cabrini turned the tables on the Fords in the fourth by winning six of those seven restarts.
Haverford's defense caused six of Cabrini's 14 turnovers. Mitch Hagan came up with a team-high three caused turnovers. The Fords collected a total of 33 ground balls. Hagan also led the team in that category with six ground ball pickups. Seven different players finished with two or more ground balls. Another bright spot for the Haverford defense was keeping the Cavaliers scoreless during their five extra-man chances.
Men's lacrosse will head out on the road next Saturday for a 1 p.m. face-off at Eastern. The Fords won a thrilling 7-6 battle when those two teams met a year ago on Swan Field.