HAVERFORD, Pa. – It was a total team effort Sunday afternoon with the Haverford College women's soccer team capturing its second straight Kick Off Classic Championship. The Fords (3-0) scored three goals in each half against Eastern (2-1) for their second 6-0 win of the young season. Haverford's title was its third and four seasons and seventh overall since the tournament's inception before the 1991 season.
Four different players scored their first goals of the season for Haverford in the championship match. Kristen Fiore led the offense with a pair of first half goals, while Jo Haller's second tally of the season in the ninth minute proved to be the eventual game-winning goal. Ali Lopez, Maryanna Solecki and Alex Alavi each recorded their first goals of the season during the second half of play. Raina Fitzpatrick put the offense in motion over the final 45 minutes with three second half assists. Skyler Ellenburg assisted on the game's first two goals, while Sydney West and Solecki also had assists in the contest.
The Fords' offense did not wait long to apply pressure to the Eagles' back line on Sunday as Haverford took five shots and had three chances at an early corner kick goal in the game's first seven-plus minutes. That persistence finally paid off in the ninth minute when West and Ellenburg's quick passing opened up a lane for Haller's second goal of the season. West's helper was the freshman's first collegiate point.
Just eight minutes after the quick strike, the Fords were back on the offensive with Ellenburg again setting up the goal. This time, she found Fiore on a long pass down the right side before Fiore scored her left footed shot in the top right hand corner. Ellenburg's helpers were her first two assists on the year. Fiore doubled up on her scoring duties right before the end of the opening half to give Haverford a 3-0 lead at the break for third time in as many games. On her second goal, Fiore cleaned up a deflection off of Solecki's shot for her third goal overall this season.
In familiar territory with the 3-0 lead at the break, Haverford did not rest on its laurels as Lopez broke through the Eastern defense just over a minute into the second half. On Fitzpatrick's first of three assists over the course of the second half, she crossed the ball through the 18 and found Lopez for the finish on the far post.
Haverford capped its afternoon of scoring with the final two goals in a span of just over three minutes. Fitzpatrick found Solecki with another cross to beat the defense that Solecki hammered home for the 5-0 lead. On the final tally of the afternoon, Fitzpatrick placed the ball at the feet of Alavi. The Eastern keeper got a piece of Alavi's shot, but not enough to keep it from going in during the 73rd minute of play. Fitzpatrick now has a team-leading nine points with three goals and three assists through the first three games.
With the 6-0 lead, the Haverford defense handled the rest of the game with Kathy Prescott making five saves during her 78:50 of playing time. Freshman Ali Weiner saw her first collegiate action of the season in the 79th minute and went untested behind a stout back line to finish off the shutout. The Fords finished with a 23-10 advantage in shots and put 13 of those attempts on net.
With Haverford now a combined 3-0 on Walton Field between the men's and women's teams, women's soccer will head back on the road next Saturday for a match at DeSales that is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.