Women’s lacrosse dominated the old Middle Atlantic Conference by turning out several All-America, all-region and all-league players, and at one point produced eight winning seasons in 10 years.
By 1985, coach Penny Hinckley’s team achieved an 8-3 record and won the Philadelphia AIAW championship. Debbie Gallagher arrived in 1986 with an undefeated regular season (14-0) and a first-place finish in both the PAIAW and the MAC. Haverford's only loss that year was in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Lydia Martin ’86 was a four-year lacrosse MVP and first-team All-American during this era and won the Varsity Cup as her lacrosse and hockey teams were 43-10 combined during junior and senior years. Led by senior All-Americans Wendy Smith ’87 and Stephanie James ’87, the 1987 team was one goal shy of repeating its 1986 feats, bowing by that margin in the MAC final.
Jen Hoare ’88, Kim Everett ’89, and Debbi Freedman ’90 played major roles until future national team member Emilie Heck ’91 emerged as a two-time first-team All-American with classmate Stephanie Cravioto ’91 earning double second-team All-America ranking. MVP Heck led the Fords to the 1991 Seven Sisters title, beating Vassar, Smith and Mount Holyoke. Gallagher's six years in charge resulted in a 66-30 record and four NCAA berths. Senior field hockey and lacrosse all-America Tracy Kyger ’93 and classmate Jen Goldman ’93 led the team to a 10-6 regular-season record in 1993 and Haverford’s first-ever playoff win, 11-10 in overtime, over Johns Hopkins. Liz Guthrie ’95, Amie Wilmer ’95, Joy Zarembka ’94, and Aimee Sato ’94 helped the Fords successfully enter the Centennial Conference in 1994.
Anne Livezey’s first three teams were runners-up in the Seven Sisters tourney. The 2001 team, which went 10-7 overall, lost games only to top 20 opponents. Lindsey Carey ’00 became Centennial Conference Player of the Year, a first-team All-American and Haverford’s and the conference’s all-time leading goal scorer with 207-66-273. Senior classmate Elizabeth Ames ’00 recorded 61 goals and 20 assists in 2000 to break the college's career assists record with 78.
In 2003, under first-year coach MaryAnn Foley Schiller, the Fords won the Seven Sisters Championship for the first time since 1991 and clinched the Hood Trophy with a double-overtime win at Swarthmore. Following that campaign, midfielder Leigh James ’03 was selected for the North-South Senior All-Star Game after earning honorable mention all-conference honors. Mindy Walman ’04, a multiple year all-conference selection, led the Fords to a second straight victory over Swarthmore in 2004 to conclude her career as one of the finest offensive performers in women's lacrosse history at Haverford.
Julie Shaner Young took over the helm of the program for the 2009 season. The squad went 10-6 and Young earned Centennial Conference Coach of the Year accolades. The 2010 team finished with a 13-5 record representing the highest single-season wins total in the program's history. That year also saw the Fords earn their first berth in the conference tournament where they advanced to the semifinal. The 2011 season featured the team's first IWLCA All-American since 2000 in Josie Ferri ’12.
Lauren Wray was named head coach of the program prior to the 2012 season. Under Wray's guidance, Ferri put the finishing touches on her standout career. Earning All-Metro Region and All-Centennial honors every year of her career, Ferri graduated as the Fords’ record holder in draw controls, free position goals, and shots on goal.
The 2013 squad established a program single-season mark for Centennial Conference wins (7) on its way to entering the Centennial Conference Tournament as the third seed—the highest finish in program history. Under Wray’s guidance, the Fords made the Centennial Conference Tournament in three of her six seasons leading the squad. Diana Perry ’15 starred for those teams as a three-time first-team All-Centennial Conference selection and a two-time first-team All-Metro Region honoree.
Katie Zichelli, a former assistant coach from national power Franklin & Marshall, took over the team prior to the 2018 season and led the Fords to back-to-back appearances in the Centennial Conference Tournament during her first two seasons. Highlighting her victories to date was the program’s highest-ranked victory ever as Haverford defeated No. 3 TCNJ by a 12-10 score on Swan Field during the 2019 campaign.