HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College Field Hockey team (7-9, 2-7 CC) was bested by Muhlenberg (8-8, 4-5, CC) on Wednesday evening, suffering a 4-2 defeat on Swan Field.
The Fords got on the scoreboard early, as attacker Amy Kim scored her second goal of the season just 28 seconds into the contest, off of a penalty corner she placed in herself to give the Scarlet and Black a 1-0 lead.
After the service in, the ball found the stick of Zoey Despines who dribbled to her right, and passed the ball to the back post of the cage. Kim was waiting right on the doorstep, and hammered it home giving Haverford the 1-0 lead.
Following the early first-quarter goal, Muhlenberg answered right back in the ninth minute. Following a quick restart for the Mules, a deflected ball landed right in front of the Haverford cage. Abba Diglio poked the ball ahead to teammate Erin DiSandro who made an nifty move past Haverford goalkeeper Lindsey Darby, and slapped a shot in to level the game at one.
With just three minutes to go in the first half, Muhlenberg broke the tie open, finding the back of the cage to go up 2-1. After a melee in front of the goal, Diglio pushed a shot on frame that was turned away by Darby. Erin Jackson pounced on the rebound and nudged a shot behind the Fords goalkeeper to give the Mules their first lead of the game.
With 21 seconds to go, Muhlenberg snuck another goal in before half to increase their lead to 3-1. Off of another penalty corner, DiSandro slotted a ball in front of Darby that caused chaos in front of the cage. Eventually, Mikayla DeMichele rifled a shot in, marking her first of the season, and helping the Mules go up by two goals. The Disandro assist was her league-leading 31st point of the season.
At halftime, Muhlenberg held the advantage in shots 6-3, and out-paced the Fords in penalty corners 7-3.
Just two minutes into the second half, the Scarlet and Black tied the game at two, thanks to a goal from Holly Vincent. Following another penalty corner from Kim, Vincent received a tempting pass at the top of the circle. Vincent lasered a shot past Mules' keeper Maddie Schwartz, and lit the lamp to pull within one, 3-2.
Three minutes later, Centennial Conference leading-scorer Diglio tallied her league-leading 12th goal of the season, extending the Muhlenberg lead to 4-2. The sophomore got a hold off a pass from MJ Callahan and tapped a shot on frame that ricocheted off Darby into the cage.
The third quarter was rounded out by the goalkeepers of both teams in the final few minutes, as Schwartz made a save on a menacing shot from Vincent, and Darby made a double save denying Disandro and Diglio in succession.
The Fords were able to rattle off four shots in the final stanza, but were unable to find two more goals due to a stifling Muhlenberg defense.
Vincent and Anna Bradley led Haverford in shots with three, while Darby ended the contest with three saves between the pipes.
The Fords end the 2023 regular season on October 28, as they host the 21st-ranked Garnet of Swarthmore for Senior Day. First pass is slated for 1 p.m. Fans are asked to arrive early for Senior Day festivities which will take place prior to the start of the contest.