COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Haverford College women's lacrosse team (9-4, 5-1 CC) got back in the win column by defeating the hosts Ursinus Bears (7-7, 3-3 CC) by a score of 12-11 on Wednesday evening. It wasn't always pretty for the Fords early on but the team was able to battle back in the second half to earn yet another conference win.
Tiffany Mikulis paced the Fords with a five-goal effort while adding one assist and seven draw controls. Her teammate, Sam Silverman added two goals and three assists in the contest as she ran much of the show on offense. Mikulis was one of three Fords with two ground balls while Lizzie Healy and Brooke Epstein each caused a turnover.
It's not quite how the Fords wanted things to unfold, but a comeback attempt was needed in tonight's contest. Haverford struggled to get any offense going in the first period and was held scoreless. Meanwhile, Ursinus built up a four-goal lead in the opening 15 minutes. The Bears got their goals from Reilly Morgan and Ashley Noto dominating both ends of the field.
Haverford locked in to start the second period but it took up to 11:42 on the clock for the visitors to score their opening goal. Mikulis tallied in a solo effort, weaving through defenders and beating the Ursinus goalkeeper. The hosts answered with back-to-back goals to take a 6-1 lead and leave the Fords searching for answers early.
The visitors battled back, with goals from Silverman and Abby Bonner, but Haverford still found itself down 6-3 at the half. The Fords were outshot in the first half 19-14 and found it difficult to gain possession off the draw controls, losing that battle 10-1 in the first half.
The momentum all changed in the third period with the comeback attempt officially underway. The Fords narrowly outscored Ursinus 4-3 in the third period to get within two by the period's conclusion. Mikulis added two more goals to her tally, and assisted Silverman's goal at the 14:12 mark. Katharine Ference got herself on the score sheet as well after finishing the feed from Silverman.
The Fords carried that momentum into the fourth period while trailing by just two at 9-7. The visitors started to look like one of the best teams in the conference, completely locking up Ursinus on the defensive end. Annie Bravacos did her part, contributing eight saves on the night. On the other end of the field, the Fords lit up the Bears' net with some consistency.
Brooke Epstein found Nancy Tucker for the opening goal of the period before Epstein notched her own goal at the 11:13 mark. With the score now tied, Ursinus woke up as they answered with a goal at the 9:55 mark to regain the lead. However, the Bears' advantage did not last long.
Haverford scored three unanswered goals to eventually take their first lead of the contest. Epstein found the back of the net again before Mikulis put two past the goalkeeper for the 12-10 lead. Noto added a goal for the Bears with 2:28 left to play, but Haverford held on for a much-needed come-from-behind win in conference play.
Haverford's next contest will be another tough one as they visit the 10th ranked Franklin & Marshall Diplomats on Saturday, April 22 for what will be another opportunity for the Fords to earn their first ranked win of the season.
A win in Lancaster will help the Fords, currently receiving votes in the IWLCA Coaches Poll, nail down a spot in the Centennial Conference playoffs with just three games remaining. The opening draw is scheduled for 3 p.m.