HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's lacrosse team (8-5, 1-4 CC) dropped a heartbreaking doubleovertime thriller to Muhlenberg (8-5, 1-4 CC) by a score of 16-15 on Wednesday evening at Swan Field.
Matt Richards turned in a historic performance, scoring seven goals — tied for the second-most in a single game in Haverford history. Philip Passalaqua matched him with a standout showing of his own, notching one goal and six assists for a seven-point day. In net, Jacob Abraham made a season-high 20 saves, while Jason Borsari led the defense with three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Drew Buck went 12-for-24 at the faceoff X, and Ronan West collected a team-high four ground balls.
Muhlenberg jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals from Daniel Friedel and Liam Ledwith, but Haverford answered with a sustained 4-0 scoring run. Evan Wolpert got the Fords on the board, followed by a first-quarter hat trick from Richards to give the hosts a 4-2 edge. The Mules trimmed the deficit to one before Reid Tietjen restored a two-goal cushion at the end of the first quarter, 5-3.
The Fords built momentum early in the second quarter with three straight goals from Passalaqua, Tyler Vendetti, and Wolpert, extending the lead to 8-3. Muhlenberg responded with a run of their own, cutting it to 8-6. A man-up goal from Richards gave Haverford some breathing room, but the Mules remained within striking distance, bringing the score to 10-8 at halftime.
Muhlenberg controlled the third quarter, outscoring Haverford 3-0 to retake the lead, 11-10, entering the final frame.
Richards continued his dominant night in the fourth, scoring three straight goals to swing the momentum back to the Fords, 13-11. The two sides traded scores until Haverford held a 15-13 advantage with just two minutes to play. Muhlenberg, however, did not go away quietly — scoring twice in the final 35 seconds, including Friedel's game-tying goal with 14 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
The Fords' defense held strong in the first overtime, with Abraham making three key saves to keep the score level as the visitors peppered the cage. In double overtime, Abraham came up big again, denying Nolan DiSora, but a Haverford turnover led to another possession for the Mules. With 2:26 remaining in the second OT, Tyler Kitchen fed Drew Kusko, who buried the game-winner to hand Muhlenberg the 16-15 victory.
Haverford will now look to bounce back on the road this Saturday, April 12, with a pivotal Centennial Conference showdown at Washington College. Opening faceoff in Chestertown, Md., is slated for noon.