Women's Soccer Denied in Season Opener vs. Arcadia, 3-0

Kendra Griesman
Kendra Griesman

HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's soccer team fell by a 3-0 score in its home opener on Saturday afternoon against annual foe Arcadia. The Fords found themselves down just 1-0 at the break, but the Knights scored less than 10 minutes into the second half before adding a final insurance tally during the 80th minute of play.

With today's results, Arcadia advanced to the Haverford College Kick Off Classic Championship match on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. against Montclair State. The Red Hawks defeated No. 25 Scranton in penalty kicks by a 3-1 margin after four rounds. The two sides were scoreless after 110 minutes before penalty kicks decided which team advanced. Haverford and Scranton will play in the consolation match which is slated for a 4 p.m. start on Walton Field.

Arcadia had the upper hand in offensive chances during the early minutes of the match, but Haverford goalie Hannah Friedrich turned away a pair of opportunities before Emily Readinger's third shot of the afternoon found the back of the net. Readinger collected a loose possession just a couple steps outside of the 18 and was able to beat the defense with that early strike.

Haverford finished with six shots in total during the opening half, but three saves from Knights' goalie Briana Williams kept the Fords off the board. Leanne Ludwick created looks at the goal during the 26th and 27th minutes that were ultimately stopped while Elle Ferreira had a chance in the final minute of the opening half which was also saved.

The Knights gave themselves some cushion on the scoreboard during the opening minutes of the second half as Mackenzie Hoffman headed home a cross from Kayla Murphy to put the visitors up 2-0. Arcadia later headed home its final goal of the afternoon as Jules Oswald found Amanda McHugh inside of the 18 to make the score 3-0.

Looking to create some momentum over the final 10 minutes, Alyssa Saito and Ludwick each had attempts on goal as the Knights' goalkeepers combined for five saves on the afternoon. Those five stops matched Friedrich's total as she played the full 90 minutes for Haverford.

Arcadia finished the match with a 15-9 advantage in shots. Ludwick led the Fords with three shots on the afternoon while first-year Celia Page also had two shot attempts in her collegiate debut. In addition to those offensive attacks, Haverford had five other chances denied by offsides calls.