HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's lacrosse team has announced its 2020 schedule. The Fords will play seven of their 15 regular season games on Swan Field this spring with an additional trip to Colorado College over spring break as the Fords prepare for an always-challenging Centennial Conference slate.
The Fords open the season against Cabrini for the eighth straight season. That home opener for the Fords on Saturday, February 15 will be the first contest for Cabrini since winning the Division III National Championship last spring. Haverford will also be at home four days later against Scranton (Feb. 19) where the Fords and Royals will meet for the first time since the 1995 season. Haverford's third non-conference date will be Saturday, March 14 when former head coach Stewart Moan brings Susquehanna to Swan Field for just the second meeting between the two schools (2001). Moan was the men's lacrosse coach at Haverford from 1987-88 and also served as women's basketball coach for one season.
After those two home dates, the Fords will be on the road for four consecutive contests. Haverford closes the month of February with trips to Eastern (Feb. 22) and Stevens (Feb. 26). The Fords will be playing Eastern for the sixth time in seven years, including each of the last four years. Haverford had won two straight in the series before the Eagles came away with a one-goal victory last spring. Stevens is another tough opponent on the slate as the Ducks were ranked 10th in Division III heading into the conference tournaments last year but were ultimately not selected for the NCAA Tournament field.
Haverford's trip to Colorado College will mark the team's first voyage out of the Eastern time zone since the 2002 season when the Fords played in Las Vegas. Haverford has made one other trip to Colorado in program history (1997). While out west, the Fords will take on Colorado College (Mar. 8) and Baldwin-Wallace (Mar. 10). Haverford has played Colorado College four other times in program history, with the last meeting coming during the 2002 trip to Las Vegas. Colorado College had made six straight NCAA Tournaments before enhancing its schedule last year. The neutral site game against Baldwin-Wallace will be the first-ever matchup between the two sides.
The Fords' Centennial Conference success last season was highlighted by road wins against Dickinson and Ursinus, squads that were both ranked No. 10 in the country at the time of Haverford's victories. Those squads will come to Swan Field on Saturday, April 4 and Saturday, April 18, respectively. The Ursinus game will also be Senior Day for the Fords' graduating class. A third playoff team from a year ago, Franklin & Marshall, will mark the team's first home conference date on Saturday, March 28. Always a highlight on the schedule, the Fords welcome Washington College under the lights of Swan Field on Wednesday, April 8. The Fords' win in 2018 when the Shoremen last visited Swan Field helped propel Haverford into the Centennial Conference Tournament.
Haverford travels to McDaniel (Mar. 21), Muhlenberg (Mar. 25), Gettysburg (Apr. 11), and Swarthmore (Apr. 25) for Centennial Conference clashes this spring. Gettysburg was the fourth team to make the Centennial Conference Tournament last year, finishing as the runner-up to Ursinus. Haverford defeated McDaniel in a thrilling 11-10 battle last spring while the Fords will be in search of revenge against the Mules as they snapped Haverford's four-game winning streak in the series a season ago. The Fords close the regular season at Swarthmore. Haverford holds a 27-19 advantage in the all-time series which had decided the final playoff spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament in three straight seasons (2016-18).
The 2020 men's lacrosse season will mark head coach Nick Taylor's second leading the Fords. Haverford won five contests last year, highlighted by the aforementioned nationally-ranked road victories. The Fords return 12 players who appeared in at least 10 games last spring, including honorable mention All-CC goalie Ethan Donlon and attacker Sean Mowatt-Larssen who led the team in goals (28) and points (36) during his rookie campaign.