HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's soccer team came out on fire in the offensive end Wednesday afternoon as the Fords (5-2-1) put four goals away in the opening half to down visiting Widener (6-2) by a 4-0 score. Four different players scored a goal while eight different players recorded an offensive point for the Fords who have now won four straight games with three shutouts during that span.
The Fords racked up a 14-3 advantage in shots during the opening half and it took the Fords less than 12 minutes to get on the board. After assisting on the game-winning goal at Franklin & Marshall over the weekend, Grace Mathis scored the eventual game-winning goal on Wednesday as she received a pass from Skyler Ellenburg right in front of the goal to give her side a 1-0 lead. Mathis' goal was her first of the season and fourth of her career. Ellenburg's assist was the 10th of her career and moved her into 17th place in program history. She is tied with five other players who have 10 career assists. The most recent to accomplish that feat was before Ellenburg was Anna Rayne '12 in 2011.
Less than eight minutes later, Raina Fitzpatrick headed home Haverford's second goal of the afternoon. Fitzpatrick now has nine career goals after she tallied the Fords' lone goal in the 1-0 win at Franklin & Marshall Saturday. Her second goal in as many games came off of a perfectly placed free kick from Sydney West. West's assist was her second of the season and sixth of her career.
Haverford continued to shrink its time in between goals as the game wore on. After Fitzpatrick's goal, Maryanna Solecki needed just 7:36 of playing time before she converted a penalty kick for a goal. Solecki earned that chance after she was taken down in the box. She then calmly finished her first career attempt at a penalty kick for her first goal of the season and third of her career.
The fourth and final goal came just 5:25 after the penalty kick. This time, it was Sofia Licata who finished one of Haverford's four corner kicks during the afternoon. Isabella Gross inserted the corner and found Saede Eifrig who placed a perfect pass to Licata in front of the goal. Licata's goal was her first this season and fourth of her career. Eifrig and Gross now both have two assists this season, a mark that is tied with both West and Mathis for the team lead.
Although unable to add on in the second half, the Fords were not without chances. The best chance of the second half came in the 60th minute of play when Mathis saw her bid at a second goal hit off the crossbar and back into play. Eifrig followed that shot and had another chance to head home the game's fifth goal but a team save from the Pride denied that opportunity.
Ten different players finished with a shot for the Fords. Solecki, Fitzpatrick, Eifrig, and Anna Dekle each had three shots to lead the winning team. Julie Hanss picked up the win as she stopped four shots on goal during the evening to record her fourth shutout of the season. Her counterpart, Sam Thach, made seven saves for the Pride.
Women's soccer will be back at home this Saturday for a key Centennial Conference matchup against Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays are currently ranked eighth in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. Both of these teams are currently 2-0 in conference play. Action on Walton Field will get underway at 1 p.m.