HAVERFORD, Pa. - The 24th-ranked Haverford College women's lacrosse team (1-0) opened up the season with a thrilling 16-15 overtime victory over Cabrini (1-1) at Swan Field, avenging a loss in the NCAA tournament last May.
Haverford erased a three-goal deficit with 6:41 to go in regulation to prevail with 2:02 left in the overtime period on a free-position goal from Tiffany Mikulis. Mikulis was a catalyst for the Fords all afternoon long, and continued her heroics long into the evening hours as she tallied four goals, grabbed five ground balls, won eight draw controls, and caused four turnovers in a stellar all-around effort. Sam Silverman had a robust start to her senior campaign with four goals and an assist while Katharine Ference and Nancy Tucker each also tallied hat tricks to begin their senior seasons in style. Ference added four ground balls and five draw controls while causing a pair of turnovers.
In one of the most impressive performances to grace Swan Field in recent memory, debutante goalkeeper Rachel Marlin, known mainly as a stalwart sophomore on the field hockey squad, stepped into duty between the pipes to tally 13 saves in the victory.
Haverford began the contest on a 3-0 run, feeding off the momentum of the home crowd on a unseasonably warm, but dreary day on the turf. Tucker, Ference, and Lia Herzig each tallied in that run, but some defensive miscues and penalties allowed Cabrini to pull back to within one. Cabrini tied the score at 4-4 with a goal from Shea Neary with 1:46 left in the first, but Mikulis pulled a goal back as Haverford went ahead 5-4 at the end of the first. A defensive-minded second period saw Cabrini rattle off two goals quickly before Silverman fed Tucker in front of goal as Tucker evened the score at 6-6 heading into halftime.
The third period was a back-and-forth affair with Haverford using a 2-0 run to take an 8-6 lead behind goals from Mikulis and Tucker. Neary stopped the run, but Mikulis tallied just moments later to restore a two-goal cushion for the Fords. From that point, Cabrini found another gear and methodically clawed its way back into the game, eventually taking an 11-9 lead with a 4-0 run, chewing up the clock with a renewed focus on the draws from standouts Olivia Little and Neary.
Unfazed, Silverman and Ellie Hughes tallied in succession for Haverford, to knot the score at 11-11. Cabrini then unleashed another 3-0 run, to take a sizable three-goal cushion with just 6:41 to play. The hosts then came together to deliver a huge rally, with Silverman scoring three times and Ference also finding the back of the net as suddenly Haverford was back from the brink,leading 15-14. In the waning moments of regulation, Little found Morgan McClintock for a goal, evening up the score at 15-15 and sending things into a sudden-victory overtime stanza.
In the early goings of overtime, Haverford was stifled on its first offensive possession after grabbing the opening draw. Mikulis delivered a key caused turnover to get the ball back to the Fords, but Silverman fired wide of the net as the Fords settled into the attacking third. The second portion of the overtime featured Ference notching the draw after the reset, and Haverford charging into its attacking third before earning a crucial free-position attempt. After the first attempt was waived off by the officials due to a Cabrini infraction in the CSA, the second attempt saw Mikulis bury the game-winner to send Haverford into a frenzied celebration.
After Cabrini frustrated the Fords on the draws in last season's playoff battle in Ithaca, N.Y., the Fords won the draw controls on Tuesday by a 19-17 total, a key difference maker, most notably the 2-0 mark in overtime. Marlin was called upon time and time again in her first collegiate action and first turn in the cage since high school lacrosse in Midlothian, Virginia.
Little (five goals, eight draw controls) and Neary (four goals, seven draw controls) did much of the heavy lifting offensively. Neary fired 17 shots, with 10 of those on frame for the visitors, while Abbey Fenton was also a standout at goal for the Cavaliers, stopping 11 shots.
Women's Lacrosse will now return to action on Saturday, as the Fords welcome Christopher Newport, a team receiving votes in the latest IWLCA Poll, to Swan Field for a 12 p.m. matchup against the Captains. The two teams met last season in Newport News, with the Fords taking down the then-No. 22 Captains by a 13-9 final.