Postgame Press Conference - NCAA Second Round
SALISBURY, Md. – The 19th-ranked Haverford College women's lacrosse team (15-6) was narrowly defeated by No. 7 Salisbury (15-4) in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse tournament, as the Sea Gulls held off a late surge from the Fords in a 9-8 victory at Sea Gull Stadium on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon.
Junior Brooke Epstein led the Fords with four goals, while Bella Gattuso added two. Ellie Hughes and Daniela Martini also found the net for Haverford. In goal, Annie Bravacos was outstanding yet again, recording 10 saves. Finley Jordan was a standout with five ground balls, following a performance a day earlier in which she tied a program record with six caused turnovers.
Hughes opened the scoring for the Fords, receiving a pass from Sophie Jaffe behind the goal and finishing cleanly to put Haverford ahead early. Bravacos then made a key save on Salisbury's first shot of the game. After a strong defensive stand, the Fords doubled their lead to 2-0 as Martini converted down low off a well-placed feed from Mikulis with 5:32 left in the first quarter.
After a green card on Lauren Anderson late in the first frame, Salisbury capitalized with a player-up goal from Miranda Mears just 30 seconds into the second quarter. Epstein notched her first goal of the afternoon with 7:12 left in the second, extending the Fords' lead to 3-1. She got free at the top of the circle and looped a shot past the Salisbury goalkeeper, aiming low to the far post.
Salisbury responded with a free-position goal from Julianna Ott at the 6:08 mark, trimming Haverford's lead to 3-2. The Sea Gulls then tied it at 3-3 when Audrey Harrington scored with the shot clock winding down at 4:27.
Epstein reclaimed the lead for Haverford at the two-minute mark with a free-position goal, but Ott struck again with 38 seconds remaining to send the game into halftime knotted at 4-4.
Salisbury opened the second half with a methodical 4-0 run, taking its first lead at 13:05 in the third as Mears converted on a second-chance opportunity to make it 5-4. The Sea Gulls added another at 10:10 as Harrington broke free for a 1-on-1 with Bravacos. Mears and Reagan McDonnell added goals as Salisbury extended its lead to 8-4.
The Fords rallied as Epstein converted a free-position attempt at 12:15, bringing Haverford within three. She then added another goal on a player-up opportunity with 9:20 left in regulation, making it 8-6. Haverford kept the momentum, winning the ensuing draw as Gattuso found the back of the net off a feed from Kylie McNamara, cutting the deficit to one.
Bravacos kept the Fords in the game with a crucial save on an Avery Dunbar shot with under three minutes remaining. After a timeout, the Fords drew up a play that ended with Gattuso scoring the tying goal, assisted by Sophie Jaffe.
Salisbury gained possession on the next draw and moved into the attacking zone. Bravacos made a clutch save on an Ott shot, but Salisbury regained possession after the rejection. With the final seconds ticking away, Harrington found space and beat Bravacos for the game-winner.
Mears and Harrington each added three goals to pace the Sea Gulls, who committed 14 turnovers but held a 14-6 advantage on draws on Sunday.
Women's Lacrosse now heads into the offseason after an incredible 2025 campaign that saw the Fords set new records for single-season wins (15), while earning the program''s first NCAA tournament victory. Haverford has now reached the NCAA tournament in three of the last four seasons, and has become a stalwart in the national rankings. Haverford will lose a large and impactful class of senior leaders that helped to maintain this era of excellence, but returns a bevy of key contributors, including All-Conference selections Epstein, Martini and Jordan.
