HAVERFORD, Pa. – A strong start to the season for Haverford College's men's lacrosse team eventually turned into a tough 17-4 non-conference loss to visiting and sixth-ranked Cabrini College on Saturday afternoon at Swan Field.
The Fords (0-1) and Cavaliers (1-0) traded goals over the course of the first 15 minutes of the season for the Main Line rivals, with the score tied 3-3 at the horn ending the period.
Tyler Johnston put Cabrini on the scoreboard first with a score in the game's second minute but less than 40 seconds later Haverford's Chris Christensen notched the equalizer with an unassisted marker.
Even Downey for the Cavaliers and Geoff Geppert for the Fords then made it 2-2 as the period pass the nine-minute mark. Haverford nabbed its only lead of the game following Geppert's tally with Christian Clay's goal off a feed from Jack Bodine in the 11th minute of the season.
The tying goal for Cabrini came from Joey Shallow with 2:34 remaining in the period. The Shallow score was the last in the period but was the beginning of a seven-goal run that turned the tide and allowed the Cavaliers to carry a 9-3 lead into the halftime break.
Geppert scored, with another assist from Bodine, three minutes out of the intermission for the Fords but Cabrini reeled off the next eight goals to put the finishing touches on the season's first contest.
The tone set in the second period likely determined Saturday's outcome as the Cavaliers out scored Haverford 6-0 behind a 15-3 advantage in shots and 6-1 edge in face-offs. Fords goalkeeper Eric Caliendo was under duress most of the 15-minute block but kept Haverford from facing an even larger halftime deficit by coming up with five saves.
Caliendo finished with 10 saves in the loss and ended with a team-high two caused turnovers. Ben Miltenberg, 7-for-19 at the face-off dot, led the Fords in ground ball pick-ups with four.
Corey Elmer, Johnston and Shallow paced Cabrini on the attack, each finishing the opener with four goals apiece. Goalie Hank Alstschuler started the game between the pipes for the Cavaliers and earned the win with 10 saves over his nearly 55 minutes in the cage.
Haverford continues the early portion of its schedule with another non-conference Main Line opponent in its next match-up, squaring off against Eastern University at Swan on Saturday, March 1.