COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Haverford College men's lacrosse team (3-8, 1-3 CC) took down the No. 19 ranked Ursinus Bears (6-4, 1-2 CC) in an away Centennial Conference contest on Patterson Field, as a huge second half propelled the Fords to a 14-9 statement win.
Matt Richards paced the Fords and tied his career high for goals in a game with five. Richards last scored five goals in a win against Susquehanna on March 13, 2022. Reid Tietjen seemed to find everyone for a goal as he led the Fords with a game-high four assists. Perhaps the biggest performance came from sophomore D'Andre Chaney, as he not only scored his first career goal but made it a hat trick in the final period.
The hosts looked to be in control to start the contest as they held Haverford scoreless in the opening 15 minutes. Not the start the Fords wanted but the situation they found themselves in. Ursinus scored three goals in those 15 minutes with two being unassisted. Ursinus resorted to solo efforts as Haverford's defense eliminated any easy cuts and passes.
Ursinus would see their early three-goal lead diminish by the end of the first period. Andrew Arth opened the scoring for the Fords with back-to-back goals, one of them coming at the 5:36 mark to end the scoring drought. Haverford found themselves tied at the 2:57 mark after Will Graves shifted his way past multiple defenders for a goal.
With the game now tied and all momentum with the Fords, D'Andre Chaney chose a good time to score his first career goal. Chaney scored at the 8:47 mark of the second period off the pass from Arth to give Haverford a one-goal advantage. The lead increased to two after Matt Richards found the back of the net with a blistering shot.
The Fords were keen on taking a lead into halftime but Ursinus battled back to even the score before the halftime horn. Christopher Pucciarelli scored to get within one before a man-up from Jeremy Calabro at 3:56 evened the score at five.
Ursinus outshot Haverford 28-18 in the first half but this was a case of quality over quantity for the Fords. Haverford made the most of their chances despite coming second in attempts.
The Fords cranked up the pressure in the second half and their efforts did not go unrewarded. Haverford outscored the No. 19 team in the nation 5-2 in the third period, snatching control of the contest in Ursinus' stadium.
Eric Dahlberg kicked off the scoring at the 12:38 mark with the assist going to Richards. The last five minutes of the period were something special for Haverford. The visitors rattled off three goals with each one being more emphatic than the last.
Chaney scored his second of the contest with 5:42 to go in the period to take an 8-7 lead. Haverford scored their ninth goal from a Dahlberg pass to Richards before Nate Rose scored with 52 seconds remaining to make the score 10-7 heading into the final period.
Pucciarelli opened the fourth pulling a goal back for Ursinus but they still struggled to get anything going and complete a second-half comeback. The Fords were relentless in the fourth and it started with a goal from Jonathan Moon. Chaney then completed his hat trick with 7:43 remaining in a game where he scored his first career goal in the second period.
Not afraid of the moment, the Fords continued to pour it on. Richards added two more goals to his tally at the 4:43 and 3:20 mark as Reid Tietjen found him for both. With three minutes remaining, the win was practically sealed as Haverford continued to blanket the Bears. Urinsus scored a goal with 29 seconds remaining but the result was already set in stone.
Jacob Abraham earned the win as the sophomore started in goal for Haverford and recorded 17 goals in another terrific performance between the pipes. David Harris was key on defense for the Fords, leading the way with two caused turnovers. Teddy Carlin made his presence felt in the faceoff circle going 11-22 and scooping up eight ground balls.
The Fords came away with the win despite being outshot 53-32. Despite Ursinus' success this season the Fords are now 4-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams. Haverford also defeated then-ranked No. 10 Ursinus during the 2019 season. With the win, the Fords collect their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
The Fords will now return to play on Saturday, April 15, as the squad takes on McDaniel for a 12 p.m. opening face-off with the Green Terror on Swan Field.