What a moment on Swan Field in the #CentConf opener!
— Haverford College Athletics (@HCFords_Sports) March 23, 2024
Fords topple F&M in a 2OT thriller, 13-12. #GoHCFords #d3lax #d3plays pic.twitter.com/0KXBhTqUIe
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's lacrosse team (5-4, 1-0 CC) notched its first victory over Franklin & Marshall (6-3, 0-1 CC) since the 2013 season in dramatic fashion, courtesy of a double-overtime sudden-victory goal from senior Will Graves. Graves' strike set the stage for a jubilant celebration on a rain-soaked Swan Field as the Fords sealed a thrilling 13-12 triumph.
The game's narrative centered around a heroic performance in goal from Jacob Abraham. The Haverford All-American netminder displayed sheer brilliance on Saturday, repelling 19 Franklin & Marshall shots and steadfastly keeping his team in contention despite the Diplomats boasting a 64-39 advantage in shots. Abraham also contributed three ground balls in an all-around effort.
Reid Tietjen delivered another stellar showing with four goals and an assist, along with snatching four ground balls and causing a turnover for Haverford. Evan Wolpert lit the scoreboard three times, adding an assist to his hat-trick, and securing two ground balls. Graves notched two tallies, while James Surgenor, Seamus McNally, and Matt Richards also found the back of the net for the hosts.
Kolin Brandeis led the Fords with five ground balls, while Ronan West stood out defensively with five caused turnovers. Haverford emphasized its defense all contest long with West, Hunter Rexford, and Sean McHugh rotating at the faceoff X and aggressively challenging Diplomats' face-off specialist Adam Soper, who amassed a game-best 12 ground balls but also committed five turnovers in the midfield.
The Diplomats began the scoring with a 4-0 run in the early stages, momentarily halting Haverford's momentum in the conference opener. The Fords sought to find solutions, relying on Wolpert to halt the run with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter. Jackson Barnhill added another for F&M, who commanded a 5-1 lead, but the Fords trimmed the deficit to just three by the end of the first quarter, with Tyler Vendetti feeding Tietjen for a goal, to help kickstart the hosts.
Mason Montrella notched the seventh goal for the Diplomats with 5:31 left before halftime, breaking a prolonged scoring drought for both teams. Haverford then unleashed five consecutive goals spanning halftime, with Tietjen's crafty strikes in the dying moments of the first half serving as a prelude to goals from Wolpert and McNally early in the third frame. McNally equalized the score at 7-7, before being credited with an assist on Wolpert's go-ahead goal at the 6:06 mark.
Franklin & Marshall's stalwart Kai Kelly leveled the score at 8-8 with 5:10 remaining, but Wolpert found Matt Richards, and then Tietjen connected with Surgenor, suddenly propelling Haverford to a two-goal lead heading into the final quarter.
The momentum continued for Haverford, stretching to a 9-2 overall run with a speedy 4-0 spurt, as Philip Passalaqua and Reid Tietjen scored successively, putting Haverford ahead by four with 9:19 left to play. Franklin & Marshall then staged a comeback, orchestrating a 4-0 run of its own to force the contest into overtime. Jack Luviano, Ryan Roberts, and Dillon Mannix all found the net for the visitors before Christian Sullivan's dramatic equalizer, assisted by Mason Montrella on a man-up opportunity, leveled the score at 12-12 with under two minutes remaining.
Both teams showcased staunch defensive performances in the closing moments, denying each other a go-ahead goal, with Freeman making a crucial save on a Mannix attempt in the final seconds. In the ensuing scramble for possession, Brandeis was penalized, granting F&M 27 seconds of a man-up opportunity heading into overtime.
Abraham thwarted Ryan Connelly's initial shot in overtime, but the Fords squandered the ensuing chance to win as the Diplomats' defense held firm, forcing a shot-clock violation. Abraham later denied Kai Kelly again, but a turnover by Haverford gave the Diplomats a chance at the end of the first OT. Mannix's shot went wide, pushing the game into overtime.
In the second overtime period, a turnover by Franklin & Marshall off the opening faceoff left the ball for James Surgenor to scoop up. Haverford organized its offense, and Graves capitalized on the opportunity, slotting home the decisive goal past Garito to secure the upset victory.
The triumph marked Haverford's first double-overtime win since March 9, 2019, when Brian Geffroy scored the game-winner assisted by Sean Mowatt-Larssen in that 10-9 contest against Kenyon.
The game served as Haverford's annual Play with Pride Game, celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Haverford Athletics and the broader college community. Haverford now carries the momentum from the opener into another home Centennial Conference showdown against Washington College on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. on Swan Field. The match also doubles as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night.