GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Haverford College women's lacrosse team saw its record-breaking season come to end on Saturday afternoon as the Fords fell 15-7 to sixth-ranked Franklin & Marshall College in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference tournament hosted by top seed Gettysburg College.
Having attained its highest conference finish in program history, the third-seeded Fords (13-5) looked to make some noise in the conference tournament but the No. 2 seed Diplomats (14-3), a five-time winner of the conference crown, presented a challenge.
Franklin & Marshall's stingy defense, ranked 34th in the nation, was on display early in the contest as the Diplomats moved out to a 5-1 lead at the midway point of the first half. Diana Perry's 59th of the season, a free position goal, brought Haverford to within three, 5-2, with 10 minutes remaining until the break but F&M struck for back-to-back goals in the next six minutes to go ahead 7-2 with four minutes left on the first-half clock.
Perry was not finished, however, as she tallied the final two goals of the opening period to cut the Diplomats' advantage to three once more.
The Dips surged again in the first 10 minutes after intermission with four consecutive goals. Junior Megan Gallagher's 36th of the season off a feed from freshman Christina Gould disrupted F&M's streak and brought the Fords within six, 11-5, at the 20-minute mark.
Registering 40 shots on the afternoon, Franklin & Marshall continued its relentless attack and closed out the contest with four of the final six goals of the game.
Capping one of the finest individual seasons in program history, Perry finished with three goals to reach 61 on the season. Senior Kenny Likes, in her final game in a Haverford uniform, added two goals and one assist. Gallagher and Elyse Adler accounted for a goal apiece while Adler also chipped in with an assist.
Diplomats' goalie Kelsey Hoffman (14-3), ranked first in the conference in save percentage, registered nine saves in the victory but it was Fords goalie Shannon Horn (12-5) that shined in defeat. Horn came through with a career-high 16 saves in the final game of her first season as Haverford's starter.
The Fords, with just three seniors on the roster, closed out a memorable season as they set a new program mark with seven Centennial wins on the season and tied the program record for overall wins (13).
The loss brings an end to the careers of Likes, Perrin Downing and Grace Stockbower.
F&M moves on to battle top seed Gettysburg at 1 p.m. on Sunday for the conference crown. It will be the 10th time the two squads have met for the Centennial title.