HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's soccer team dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision against Washington College on a sunny and breezy Sunday afternoon at Walton Field. Despite an early lead, the Fords were unable to hold off the Shoremen's first-half comeback, as the visitors netted two goals before the intermission. With this result, Haverford's record falls to 1-8-4 (0-4-1 in the Centennial Conference), while Washington College improves to 7-2-4 (3-1-1 in the Centennial Conference).
Haverford opened the scoring just 7:34 into the match when Kieran Kunihiro found the back of the net, assisted by Thomas Vanni off a corner kick. Vanni played the corner short to a teammate, got the ball back and lofted an expertly placed, powerful cross into the box where Kunihiro was able to head the ball into the back of the net. The strike marked Kunihiro's first goal of the season.
However, Washington College quickly responded. At the 30:05 mark, Jordan Waiganjo scored off a pass from Francesco Bertolini, leveling the game at 1-1. Shortly after, Mayowa Taiwo gave the visitors a 2-1 lead in the 39th minute with an assist credited to Tshazi Kamau.
Washington College headed into the intermission with a 6-5 lead in shots, but the Fords had a 4-0 lead in corner attempts.
Haverford pressed for an equalizer throughout the second half, recording five shots in the second 45 minutes of action. Thomas Vanni, Aaron Park and Aidan Lacy had notable chances. Vanni had a shot blocked in the 73rd minute, before Park sent a curling shot that Cole White was able to get a piece of in the 81st. Lacy's shot in the 88th minute was blocked as the Fords sought a last-minute equalizer.
Haverford goalkeeper Simon Bank made two key saves, while Washington College's Cole White tallied three saves to preserve the victory for the visitors, who reached the NCAA Division III final four a season ago. The Fords finished the match with seven corner kicks to the Shoremen's three but couldn't capitalize on their set-piece opportunities.
The Fords now return to action on Wednesday, October 16, when they step out of conference play to host Farmingdale State at Walton Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and a live stream and stats will be available via HaverfordAthletics.com