HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College Men's Soccer team (5-4-8, 2-3-4 CC) took on Swarthmore (5-6-5, 3-2-4 CC) in a pivotal Centennial Conference Clash on Walton Field. Prior to the game, the Fords honored 11 seniors Saturday, in a pre-game ceremony celebrating Dylan Ioffreda, Caleb Miller, Max Mouer, Cyrus Nasseri, Tomas Ascoli, Alex Millones, Ben Menko, Andrew Peebles, Brian Lorenz, Santiago Ospina Duran, and Alex Silvestri.
The first 12 minutes saw both teams threaten, as Andrew Fritz put a shot on target early into the contest, and Thomas Vanni ripped off two shots, one that was blocked, and one that sailed wide.
Tejas Sarna was the lone Garnet player who recorded a shot in the opening minutes, but was turned away by Ioffreda.
The Fords had the first menacing chance of the game, in the 13th minute when Aidan Lacy split two defenders down the flank, and made his way into the box. The first-year midfielder took a shot that was blocked, as the ball fell to the feet of Ascoli. The senior ripped a low hard shot on the ground that forced Swarthmore keeper Christian Bignotti to parry it away.
Within the final 15 minutes of the first half, the Garnet were knocking on the door in search of their first goal. However, an Adrien Marcelli shot that was saved, and a header from Bless Tumushabe couldn't break open the game.
At the half, the Scarlet and Black outpaced the Garnet in shots 8-5, while Swarthmore had the lone corner kick in the first stanza.
Just 50 seconds into the second half, the Garnet found their goal. After a failed defensive clearance, Sarna got the ball at the top of the box. The junior from Singapore rifled a shot from distance, past the outstretched Ioffreda, and into the back of the net to give Swarthmore the 1-0 lead.
The 58th minute saw Haverford try to answer, but a promising header from Vanni just went wide of the net.
Starting in the 61st minute, Swarthmore began to pepper the net with four shots in the next five minutes, but despite efforts from Matthew Loreg, Shlok Kaul, and Joseph Eyiolowope, the goal still remained 1-0.
The Garnet found their insurance goal in the 83rd minute, as Eyiolowope caused chaos in front of the net. Swarthmore midfielder Len Yemabe received a pass after striding into the box. The first-year then blasted a left-footed shot that was turned away from Ioffreda. However, Eyiolowope was in the right place at the right time, as the sophomore tapped home a rebound to give the Garnet a 2-0 lead.
The second goal was the last goal of the game, as Swarthmore left Walton Field with a 2-0 win. Vanni led the Fords in shots with three, while Ioffreda ended the contest with six saves.
Haverford concludes their season with an overall record of 5-4-8 and a Centennial Conference record of 2-3-4. The 2023 season marks Head Coach Kevin Brenner's first full season with the Fords, as he and the rest of the Scarlet and Black set their eyes on the 2024 season, which will start next August.