HAVERFORD, Pa. — The good news for the Haverford men's soccer team is that it remains unbeaten through six matches this season after a 1-1 tie Saturday afternoon against ninth-ranked Franklin & Marshall in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams.
The bad news is that the Fords have only found the win column once in those first six matches, leaving them at 1-0-5 after the first six matches, including the tie against the Diplomats at historic Walton Field. The Diplomats, meanwhile, saw their five-match winning streak to start the season snapped at the hands of the Fords.
Haverford has played men's soccer since 1901, and until last season, the most ties recorded by one of its teams in a single season was four (1909-10, 1910-11, 1974, and 2016). But the Fords have recorded five ties in each of the last two seasons and needed just six matches to match the mark of the 2022 team, which finished 4-8-5.
Saturday's match was a chippy affair, with the officials handing out five yellow cards: three to Haverford and two to F&M. Aidan Lacy and Gabe Knopf each earned second-half yellow cards for Haverford (the team was issued a first-half yellow). In contrast, Isaac Mintz (first half) and Koa Kaliebe (second half) were issued yellows for F&M.
The teams played to a scoreless draw at halftime, but it wasn't for a lack of shots by the Diplomats. Franklin & Marshall dominated the ball and had 31 shots in the match compared to just three by Haverford. The Diplomats fired 11 shots in the first half and 20 more in the second, but only one of its seven shots on goal found its way past a heroic effort from Haverford goalkeeper Dylan Ioffreda (1-0-5).
Meanwhile, the Fords managed just three shots in the match, including just one shot on goal. But they made it count in the 79th minute of the match when the Fords capitalized on a free kick. Alex Millones scored off an assist by Juan Rivera to give the Fords a 1-0 lead at the 78:39 mark of the match as they looked to open conference play with a victory.
But the Diplomats would respond five minutes later with the equalizer off another free kick. Adam Green was fouled just outside the box, giving Philip Monos a free kick in the 84th minute of the match. Monos sent a crossing pass into the box that Oscar Horwitz headed craftily past Ioffreda to tie the match at 1-1 at the 83:41 mark. The goal was the eighth of the young season for Horwitz.
Horwitz had three other shots at the game-winner in the next two minutes after his tying goal, but the first was wide, the second hit the post, and Ioffreda blocked the third. Green's shot in the 90th minute (89:10) was also blocked, ending the match deadlocked at 1-1.
Haverford — which has tied MIT, Susquehanna, Rowan, Arcadia, and F&M on the season, with its only win coming against William Paterson — is back in action Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in a non-conference match at Stockton.