HAVERFORD, Pa. – Allie Chen's chip-in of a loose ball at the top of the box was the game-winner in 25th-ranked Haverford College's 3-2, double-overtime victory over visiting Lebanon Valley College on Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference women's soccer match at Walton Field.
A cross by Haverford's Kara McMahon from just outside the box on the right sailed a hair too high for leaping teammate Connie Friedman two minutes into the second overtime period. Lebanon Valley defender Morgan Miller tried to trap the loose ball on the fly at the top of the goal box but ended up bouncing the ball out to the top of the penalty box where an unmarked Chen (pictured, right) chipped a left-footed shot into the top, right corner of the Dutchmen goal for the winning score.
The win pushes Haverford's season record to 7-1 while the loss evened the Dutchmen's record at 4-4 on the year.
The Fords got the most from their scoring opportunities Wednesday as they scored on three of their four shots that were on goal. Lebanon Valley out shot Haverford by a 17-10 margin but netted only two of the six shots that were on frame, both scores coming off corner kick chances.
Averaging less than two goals per game, Haverford got off to a quick start this time around when Meg Boyer scored in the fourth minute. The junior forward dribbled from the right across the top of the penalty box and arced a left-footed shot just under the crossbar and above the leaping hands of Dutchmen goalkeeper Becca Sykes who was victimized all three times Wednesday by shots skimming under the crossbar.
The 1-0 lead held through the intermission but Lebanon Valley's Nicole Snyder found the equalizer off the post in the 69th minute. A corner kick chance from the right sailed toward the back post where Heather Tran won the battle in the air with a header that clanged off the right post. Snyder was in the right place at the right time and one-touched the rebound into the back of the net to pull the Dutchmen even.
Boyer came through with her second of the game, though, to push the Fords back in front. Her fifth of the year came from about 25 yards out after she dribbled from the top left, saw an open shooting lane and rocketed a right-footer over Sykes at the 76:23 mark.
Snyder answered the call again for the visitors, this time pounding home her seventh of the year, off an assist from Amanda Douglass, with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.
Neither team put together much of a scoring chance in the initial 10-minute overtime setting up Chen for her winning theatrics in the second extra period.
Sykes (2-1) took the loss in goal for Lebanon Valley registering one save while Haverford's Robin Chernow (7-1) earned the win between the pipes with four saves.
Wednesday's victory was the third double-overtime win this season for the Fords -- without a loss -- and the fifth win in a row, all by one goal each.
Haverford steps back into Centennial Conference action with its next three outings, hoping to improve upon a 2-0 league mark that has the nationally-ranked Fords tied atop the conference standings with Swarthmore College.
Next up for Haverford is a visit to Gettysburg College on Saturday afternoon followed by a trip to Ursinus College on Wednesday night. The next home game for the Fords will be on Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. against Franklin & Marshall College.