YORK, Pa. - The Haverford College women's lacrosse team (4-3) was upended by No. 10 York College (3-2) on Saturday, falling by a 16-9 final score at Kinsley Field. The Spartans used a big third period to down the Fords as they outscored the visitors 5-1 in that stanza. Brooke Epstein, Katharine Ference, and Tiffany Mikulis paced the Fords with two goals each. Ference also added two assists to her total while Annie Bravacos came up big in the net for Haverford recording seven saves. 

There was very little between the two teams in the first period. York opened the scoring with back-to-back goals from Teresa Matthias. However, the Fords remained calm with an answer from Ference as she scored off a pass from Nancy Tucker. The Spartans added another tally from the free position spot at the 8:09 mark, and then followed it up with their fourth goal of the game at the 5:08 mark.

With Haverford trailing 4-1 early, Tucker put one past the goalie to cut the lead to three and then cut the lead down to two right before half with a player up-goal from Sam Silverman on the free position. York outshot the Fords 22-8 and was in complete control of the game's pace in the first 30 minutes. Despite the discrepancy in attempts, Haverford only trailed by four at halftime.

The third period all but decided the game. The Spartans took over and rattled off five unanswered goals leaving the Fords scoreless since the two-minute mark of the second period. The agonizing scoreless run finally came to an end thanks to a Tiffany Mikulis goal with 45 seconds remaining in the period. 

The Fords did their best to climb back into the game in the final period. Goals from Epstein, Julia Curran, and Ference led a three-goal scoring run for Haverford. The score was 14-9 following that run with 4:23 left to play, but there just wasn't enough time left for the Fords to climb back. York finished off the game with two goals in the final two minutes to seal the win.

Lizzie Healy was a bright spot on defense, causing three turnovers and adding two ground balls in the process. Ference added seven of Haverford's 12 draw controls, while Mikulis had a game-high four ground balls. 

Another tough test awaits the Fords as they begin Centennial Conference play against Dickinson, a team who is receiving votes in the national poll, on Saturday, March 25. Haverford beat the Red Devils in their lone matchup of 2022 by a score of 22-5 and looks to repeat that to get back to winning ways. The game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.