Signature wins: A lockdown defense that led to several counter-attack opportunities throughout the year was crucial to the success of the Haverford College women's soccer team this fall. The Fords racked up eight wins as they headed back to the Centennial Conference Tournament in 2018. Six of those victories came during shutout performances, while the other two came as the team surrendered just a single goal. In a season where every Centennial Conference point counted, the Fords also shut out Gettysburg during the month of October and tied with nationally-ranked Swarthmore in the final match of the regular season to officially punch their return ticket to the postseason.
Haverford's shutdown defense finished the year with the 10th best goals against average mark in team history, allowing just 0.89 goals every 90 minutes. That mark was the best since the 2016 season when the Fords rewrote the record books with a school record 0.58 goals per game. Haverford outshot its opponents during 11 of its 17 matches and had just one fewer shot opportunity on two other occasions.
Awards:
- United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award (13th straight season)
- All-Centennial Conference: Katie Safter (first team), Kendra Griesman (honorable mention), Leanne Ludwick (honorable mention), Sydney West (honorable mention), Lindsay Wytkind (honorable mention)
- Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week: Lindsay Wytkind (10/8)
- Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Kelly Brown, Ellie Burns, Saede Eifrig, Kendra Griesman, Julie Hanss, Hannah Krapes, Leanne Ludwick, Grace Mathis, Lauren Nguyen, Katie Safter, Sarah Savonis, Ali Weiner, Lindsay Wytkind
- Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team: Katie Safter
- Ambler Scholar-Athlete: Hannah Krapes
Season Notes: Haverford went 8-6-3 overall with a 5-3-2 record in Centennial Conference play … Haverford advanced to the Centennial Conference Tournament for the third straight season and for the 10th time in 12 seasons under head coach Jamie Schneck … The Fords have boasted a winning record in nine of the past 10 seasons, finishing at exactly .500 during the only exception to that rule … Haverford's senior class finished its career with 38 victories over the past four seasons … Haverford's five All-Centennial Conference selections marked the third-most in program history, trailing only the 2004 and 2011 teams which each had six players recognized … The 13 Fords who were named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll featured the second-highest total among each of the schools in the conference … Twelve different players scored a goal for the Fords this season, while a total of 17 players recorded an offensive point … Haverford scored 32 goals this fall, averaging just under two per match, for the team's highest total since the 2015 season … All but six of Haverford's goals had at least one assist this season … The team's 30 total assists marked the highest total since the 2005 NCAA Tournament Team tallied 44 helpers … Katie Safter was named first-team All-Centennial Conference for the first time in her career … Safter is only the second player in program history (Meg Boyer '15) to be named All-Centennial Conference during each of her four seasons … Kendra Griesman earned All-CC accolades for the second time in three seasons while each of the other three all-conference selections were first-time award recipients … Haverford earned the United Soccer Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 13th straight season and 20th time in the award's 21 year history.
Looking forward: Losing a nine-member class for the second straight season will certainly leave the team with a new look for next fall as this year's seniors combined for 477 appearances and 302 starts during the past four seasons. However, the Fords successfully dealt with a similar graduation rate this past season and appear well-equipped to do the same going forward. Junior defender Kendra Griesman has been an All-CC performer in each of her healthy seasons while classmates Lindsay Wytkind (defense) and Leanne Ludwick (forward) both earned the first all-conference recognition of their respective careers. Sophomore Emily Thissen has also seen substantial time in the starting XI throughout her career to bolster a historically strong defense which saw goalkeepers Julie Hanss (two-year starter) and Hannah Friedrich both start matches this fall. Saede Eifrig has also started for the Fords who return six different goal scorers from the 2018 season.