HAVERFORD, Pa. - The 24th-ranked Haverford College women's lacrosse team (1-1) continued action on Saturday, with a tough 15-14 loss to Christopher Newport (2-1) at Swan Field. The battle between two very familiar teams came down to the final minute as the Captains walked away as victors.
Haverford looked to be in control of the game heading into the final period, but the Captains used a 6-0 scoring run to down the hosts, scoring the go-ahead goal in the game's final minutes. The duo of Kat Ference and Sam Silverman was stellar for the Fords. The two linked up for many of Haverford's goal contributions. Ference lit up the box score with six goals and three assists and was the winner of four draw controls. Silverman registered two goals and totaled a game-high six assists. Tiffany Mikulis followed up her game-winning performance earlier in the week with five goals on six shot attempts. The sophomore was also vital on the defensive end of the field, causing two turnovers and scooping up three ground balls to go with her six draw control wins.
The Fords found themselves in an early 4-1 hole as the Captains rattled off four straight goals after Nancy Tucker opened the scoring for the Fords. However, the hosts quickly fought back before the end of the first period, getting multiple goals from Ference and Mikulis. After a five-goal scoring run from Haverford, the hosts led 6-4 at the end of one, completely flipping the early game script.
The game slowed down and evened itself out in the second period. Both teams locked in on defense and that dictated how the game was played. The play became methodical, with much of the action happening in the midfield. Rachel Marlin was key in the second frame, stopping four shots to keep the Fords ahead. Completely opposite of the first period, both Haverford and CNU managed only three goals each.
Silverman and Ference continued to dominate with their chemistry on the offensive side of the field setting the tone. Silverman netted two while Ference scored one, each assisting the other's goals. The Captains had Brookelyn Morrison, Kelsey Winters, and Kendall Krause to thank for their goals. However, the visitors clearly needed to cut into the lead and not trade goals to have a chance at clawing back.
Haverford kept the momentum rolling into the third period, outscoring Christopher Newport 4-2. Mikulis scored two of her five goals in the third while Ference stayed aggressive putting two in the back of the net with both assists going to Silverman. The goals looked very much against the run of play as the Captains started to dominate the draw controls but missed shots whilec ostly turnovers haunted the visitors.
Things looked good heading into the fourth and final period with Haverford leading 13-9, but the dominating play from the Fords would quickly fade. At 13:52 left in the fourth, Ference and Silverman teamed up for the sixth time to score Haverford's 14th goal of the game. Silverman found a cutting Ference who quickly took the shot from low to high, beating the Christopher Newport goalkeeper. After that, there wasn't much left for the Fords to celebrate.
The Captains woke up in the fourth quarter and put six straight goals past Marlin. Kelsey Winters and Sloane McDonald scored two goals in quick succession to cut the Haverford lead to three. At the 9:57 mark, Winters found the back of the net again and their goal was quickly followed by a goal from Paige Williams at the 7:05 mark.
With the Fords trying everything to hold on, the Captains continued to win possession off the draw and finally found the equalizer with just under four minutes left in regulation. With the game tied at 14, Haverford was on the defensive again, chasing around the CNU athletes to gain possession back one more time. The aggressiveness backfired as defender Lizzie Healy was shown a yellow card, leaving Haverford a player down. Off the free position attempt, Morrison took the final shot for the Captains as her tally proved to be the winner in a tightly contested second half.
In a game that involved a ranked team and another receiving votes, there were plenty of positives to take from the game for the Fords. Marlin, in her second start of the season, finished with eight saves after seeing 23 shots. Eva Baumann proved to be a defensive force for Haverford as she finished the game with three caused turnovers and two ground balls. Three Fords (Mikulis, Healy, and Lauren Anderson) finished with two caused turnovers. Anderson also led Haverford in ground balls along with Mikulis, scooping up three in her first career start.
Women's Lacrosse will now look ahead to action on Wednesday, March 1. The Fords make a quick trip to Chester, Pa. to take on Widener. Opening draw is slated for 5 p.m.