HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's soccer team scored twice in the final 13 minutes of regulation to pull out a Centennial Conference victory against Franklin & Marshall on Saturday afternoon. The Fords (8-2-1, 3-1 CC) appeared to have two goals earlier in the game but each was called back to put the Fords under pressure late against the Diplomats (5-7-0, 0-4 CC).
Leanne Ludwick gave the Fords the game-tying goal in the 78th minute of play as she took a pass back from Kristen Fiore and finished from right around the penalty kick spot to tie the game with 12:31 to play. Grace Mathis headed home the eventual game-winning goal just over three minutes later on a corner kick put into play by Lindsay Wytkind.
Both Haverford goal scorers recorded their second goals of the season during their late heroics and are now tied for the team lead with Skyler Ellenburg and Anna Dekle. Fiore's assist to set up the first goal tied her for the team lead with two assists. Wytkind's helper on the game-winning effort was her first collegiate point as 13 players now have either a point or an assist for Haverford this season.
Haverford seemingly controlled the offensive tempo throughout the contest as it racked up a 23-6 edge in shots for the game. This included a 15-2 advantage in shots on goal. However, Franklin & Marshall's Nicole Savidge made 13 saves to keep her team tied or ahead most of the afternoon.
The Fords appeared to have the game's first goal in the 29th minute when Fiore took a shot from a hard angle that rolled into the net. However, the referees ruled that the ball had gone in through the side of the net and disallowed the goal. Just over 10 minutes later, that decision appeared as though it may loom large as the Diplomats' Sabrina Graziano scored on corner kick with an assist from Reanna Leoni.
Haverford also appeared as though it had a goal in the second half when the Fords thought they were playing advantage just outside the box only to have the referee bring the play back to just outside of the 18 where the eventual direct kick was blocked down by the Franklin & Marshall defense.
Kathy Prescott went on to record the win in net for the Fords as she played the full 90 minutes in goal. The Diplomats' final shot of the contest came in the 83rd minute, but a glancing blow off of the crossbar kept Franklin & Marshall from tying the game.
Women's soccer will now head out on the road next week for a pair of Centennial Conference trips to Muhlenberg (Tuesday, 7 p.m.) and Johns Hopkins (Saturday, 1 p.m.).