The Haverford College women's soccer team will make its fourth consecutive appearance in the Centennial Conference tournament with Saturday afternoon's match-up against 12th-ranked Johns Hopkins University in one of two semifinal games played in Carlisle, Pa.
The third-seeded Fords (12-5, 7-3 CC) and second-seed Blue Jays (15-3, 8-2 CC) take the field in the day's second semifinal following the opener between top-seed and 22nd-ranked Dickinson College (14-2-1, 9-1 CC) and fifth-seed Ursinus College (10-6-1, 6-4 CC).
The disappointment from a heartbreaking, 2-1, defeat to the Blue Jays during the regular season can all be wiped away for the Fords Saturday when they get another chance at a Hopkins squad that earned the regular season win on its home turf behind a game-winning goal with less than four minutes remaining in regulation action.
Haverford had rallied from a 1-0 deficit with an equalizing goal by junior Katie Van Aken at the 82:59 mark but Erica Suter scored what would prove to be the game-winner for Hopkins a little more than three minutes later.
The Fords squad that heads into the playoff rematch against the Blue Jays won seven of their final eight games with the lone defeat coming in overtime at top-seeded Dickinson. Six of the seven victories were shut outs and Haverford allowed just four goals during that stretch. Saturday's game will likely be a low-scoring battle as both the Fords and Blue Jays rank near the top of the league's statistics in the defensive end of the field.
Haverford has posted the third-lowest goals against average (0.70 per game) in the conference while Hopkins rates second (0.67). Both goalkeepers have played big roles in those advantageous averages as the Fords' Kayleigh Herrick-Reynolds carries an .838 save percentage, third best in the league, into the game against Meredith Maguire's second-best .862 mark for the Blue Jays.
Each keeper received solid play from the defensive backfields during the regular season keeping shooters at a distance or, at the least, giving up only bad angle attempts. Maguire has faced a league-low 2.94 shots on goal while Herrick-Reynolds is one spot away seeing only 3.71 shots that make it on frame.
If the Fords receive another solid game on the back line from all-conference performer Maura Schiefer, Erin Verrier, Kara McMahon and newcomer Elizabeth Newman Saturday, the Blue Jays could find themselves as frustrated on the attack as most of Haverford's opponents have been all season.
Offensively, Haverford has mixed in youthful legs with experienced ones.
The leading goal-scorer for the Fords is Van Aken with seven. She's followed closely by a pair of freshmen – Meg Boyer and Sophie Eiger – that have contributed five goals apiece in their first year with the program. Senior Michele Buonora, with four markers, rounds out the top-four in the scoring department.
Last season Hopkins defeated Haverford in the regular season by the same score as this season's tilt, then the pair met again in the Centennial semifinal with the eventual conference-champion Blue Jays ending the Fords' season. The outlook for the re-match Saturday should come down to a few, select rushes into the offensive thirds and Haverford's strong defense could prove to be the difference pushing the Scarlet and Black into its first Centennial tournament final Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m in Carlisle.