Season Review: Women's Lacrosse Reaches Centennial Semis

Season Review: Women's Lacrosse Reaches Centennial Semis

Season recap: Haverford rocketed its way onto the national stage with a convincing 12-10 upset victory over defending national semifinalist No. 3 TCNJ (Feb. 26) in just the second game of the season. The win was Haverford's fourth overall against a ranked opponent since the creation of the IWLCA Division III Poll in 2003. The Fords then followed up that victory and newfound national ranking with three straight home triumphs against Arcadia (March 5), Cabrini (March 9), and McDaniel (March 23). Haverford clinched a return trip to the Centennial Conference tournament with an exhilarating 9-8 victory over rival Swarthmore in the regular season finale on Swan Field (Apr. 27). Allie Gibbons scored with just 13 seconds left to send Haverford back to the playoffs in the thriller. The Fords later secured a semifinal berth with another dramatic one-goal victory at No. 22 Dickinson in the postseason opener (May 1), taking down a second ranked opponent as Elia Brosgol scored with just 28 seconds left to propel Haverford into semifinal round for the first time since 2015.

Season Notes: Haverford finished with at least 10 wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons … The Fords reached the Centennial Conference semifinal for the third time in program history, joining the 2013 and 2015 squads as teams to garner that distinction … Haverford was ranked as high as No. 20 in the IWLCA poll, earning a national ranking for the second time in as many seasons … The senior class of Allie Gibbons, Sarah Svetec, Rina Rosnow, and Kirsten Mullin notched 40 wins and appeared in three Centennial Conference playoffs … The Fords had three all-region selections (Gibbons, Julia Manetta, Anna Meyers), the most since the 2011 campaign … Manetta set a new single-season record for assists (64) and assists per game (3.56), ranking fourth in all of Division III in total assists this year to date … Gibbons matched the program single-game records for goals (8) and points (11) in the season opener against Christopher Newport (Feb. 23) … Gibbons became just the seventh player in program history to record 200 career points, notching the milestone in a five-goal effort against Gettysburg on April 13 … Each of Haverford's three senior captains: Gibbons, Svetec, and Mullin, were named Ambler Scholar Athletes for having a top 16 GPA among senior student-athletes … In total, Haverford had 14 honorees on the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll, the most in the conference. 

Awards:

Looking ahead: Haverford will look to replace the leadership and production of a senior class that set an academic and athletic example at the highest level during their four years on campus. Fortunately for the Fords, a large rising junior class including Manetta (80 points), Hailey Morris (56 points), and Maeve Gaffney (33 points) looks up to the task offensively and in the midfield. Julia Pascarella also returns for her junior season after a 26-goal, 34-assist campaign in 2019 and will be counted upon in the attacking third with regularity. Defensively, All-Conference talents Meyers and Krupnick will look to anchor the stout backline in their senior seasons while Amelia Slade will be back for her junior season between the pipes after a standout sophomore season that saw her start all 18 games, notching 181 saves.