HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College field hockey team (7-10, 2-8 CC) was edged by visiting No. 21 Swarthmore (12-5, 8-2 CC) on Saturday afternoon on Swan Field, falling by a 3-2 final score in the regular season finale for both teams. Prior to the game, the field hockey program honored its five seniors from the class of 2024: Anna Bradley, Allison Cubell, Zora Dallmann, Clare Fleming, and Margaret Martin.
Swarthmore held a slight 14-12 edge in shots for the contest, although Haverford held a 10-7 edge in the second half. Each team earned four penalty corners, with the Fords also holding a 3-1 edge in that category during the second period.
A defensive-minded first half saw both teams with some solid looks, but no goals scored through the first 30 minutes of action. Jackie Crowley put a shot on frame for the visitors in just the third minute, with Lindsey Darby called into action to make a save. In the 21st minute, Darby made a lunging save on a shot from Katherine Kohn.
The Fords had a great chance to score the opener in the 25th minute, as Amy Kim inserted a penalty corner that found the waiting stick of Cubell, who fired into Garnet goalkeeper Cassandra Conklin.
Just moments before the intermission, Naomi York had an excellent goal-scoring chance, but Conklin again was angled in a strong position to deny the opening goal. Darby similarly kept Crowley off the scoreboard moments later as the two teams headed to the intermission in a scoreless contest.
Haverford came out firing in the third frame, with Bradley putting a shot on target before Swarthmore opened the scoring in the 35th minute of play. Sophia Hitchingham tallied her ninth of the season off an assist from Kohn, and the Garnet took the first lead of the contest.
In the final moments of the third quarter, Haverford grabbed a crucial equalizer. With the ball in transition, Zoey Despines sent in a screamer of a shot toward the goalmouth, where the waiting stick of Erica Pardón provided an immediate redirection, slotting the ball into the back of the cage with a loud thud as the contest was now tied at 1-1, setting off the Haverford bench in celebration.
Unfortunately for the Fords, Swarthmore had an answer, with Kohn dribbling deftly into the circle and doing well to slot a crafty shot past Darby for a 2-1 lead and her ninth tally of the year. Sarah Cooper added an insurance goal in the 54th minute, as she buried the redirection off the stick of Crowley for a 3-1 Garnet lead.
Not to be deterred, Dallmann added her first career goal in the final minute of her collegiate tenure, working through the Swarthmore defense and shooting past Conklin to cut the lead to 3-2 in the waning seconds.
Conklin made eight saves in her 12th win between the pipes. Crowley had a match-best six shots for the Garnet. Seven different Haverford players notched a shot on target on Saturday.
The Fords end the 2023 campaign with a 7-10 overall record and a 2-8 mark in the Centennial Conference. Haverford posted a 4-3 win over No. 10 Rowan on September 20, part of a stretch of four wins in five games to help highlight the slate. The Fords will now look forward to the spring non-traditional segment as crucial preparation for the 2024 campaign that will commence in August.