SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Junior Ford Bohrmann's goal in the final minute of the first half proved to be the game-winner as the Haverford College men's soccer team defeated defending champion Dickinson College, 1-0, in Centennial Conference semifinal action Saturday afternoon at Swarthmore College.
The third-seeded Fords (11-7) advance to their second straight conference final as a result of Bohrmann's timely tally, as well as superb defense against the No. 2 seed Red Devils (12-4-2), who came into the contest ranked first in the conference in goals (2.24 per game) and points (5.88 per game).
Haverford dictated play for the majority of the first half as it held a 9-4 advantage in shots. The Fords had come close to scoring on several occasions as Colin Lubelczyk had an opportunity turned away by a desperate Dickinson defender when he caught Red Devils goalie Cody Hickok out of position in the 20th minute. Nine minutes later Sam Yarosh caught the cross bar on a free kick attempt but it was Bohrmann who would come through as head coach Shane Rineer inserted him as a substitute late in the opening half.
In a game that featured seven of the top 15 scorers in the conference, Bohrmann provided the only offense necessary when he nailed home his second of the season on a cross from junior Jamie Reingruber with 51 seconds left on the clock before intermission. Reingruber's persistence in a battle for the ball on the endline produced the scoring opportunity. Both of Bohrmann's goals this season have come against Dickinson and both turned out to be game-winners as Bohrmann scored the first goal of a 3-0 victory over Dickinson on Oct. 6.
Haverford, undefeated this season when leading at halftime (5-0), continued to blanket Dickinson's Javier Mena, who ranks first in the Centennial in assists, in the second half. Andriy Mshanetskyy (11-6) made his lone save of the contest in the 62nd minute as the Fords' defense continuously turned away the Red Devils' attack.
Mshanetskyy earned his fifth shutout of the season in the victory.
Dickinson's Hickok (9-3-2) made four saves in the loss.
Qualifying for the conference final for the second consecutive season, the Fords will square off against tournament host and 12th-ranked Swarthmore. The Garnet advanced to the championship game with a 3-0 win over Johns Hopkins University in the day's second semifinal.
Sunday's game -- the first conference championship contest between the Fords and Garnet in any Centennial-sponsored postseason tournament -- will be at 3 p.m.