HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College field hockey team (8-7, 4-4 CC) honored its seniors in style, earning a decisive 4-0 victory over McDaniel (3-12, 0-8 CC) on Swan Field Saturday afternoon. The Fords dominated the Green Terror with a 34-7 advantage in shots and a 17-4 edge in penalty corners.
Before the game, the Fords celebrated seniors Zoey Despines, Amy Kim, Vy Le, Rachel Marlin, Ileana Rodriguez, and Mary Smith for their valuable contributions to the program, both on and off the field.
When play began, senior Amy Kim quickly made her presence felt in front of the cage on the right flank, deflecting a shot from Naomi York to put Haverford on the board with an early 1-0 lead. In the 25th minute, a hard foul inside the circle awarded the Fords a penalty stroke, and sophomore Louisa Coughlin calmly converted, doubling the lead.
Haverford's momentum continued, just moments later in the 27th minute. The Fords earned a penalty corner, and Holly Vincent sent a powerful shot from the top of the circle toward the cage. Though initially blocked by a McDaniel defender, the ball trickled straight to York, who seized the opportunity and scored, putting Haverford up 3-0.
York continued her impressive performance, contributing to the Fords' fourth goal. Following another penalty corner, she sent a shot on target that was deflected by McDaniel's goalkeeper, Teaghen Rieder. Coughlin collected the rebound and slotted it past Rieder, securing a comfortable 4-0 cushion with her third score of the season.
The Fords took the opportunity to provide the first action of the season to Mena Kazista, Avrey Goodgame, Mei-Li Mikos, and Caroline Frost in the fourth quarter, as the defense held strong against four late penalty corners from the Green Terror.
For McDaniel, Samira Morgan led the visitors with four shots on goal. Haverford's Smith was called into action to make six saves, earning her seventh win of the season on her Senior Day, while Rieder made a valiant 13 saves for McDaniel.
Currently holding sixth place in the Centennial Conference standings, Haverford now turns to two critical road games as it aims to secure a playoff spot. First, the Fords will face Muhlenberg on Wednesday, October 30, with a 7 p.m. start. They'll then conclude the regular season at rival Swarthmore in the annual Hood Trophy series, with another 7 p.m. matchup on Saturday, November 2.