ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College women's lacrosse team (7-3, 2-1 CC) registered its second consecutive conference win on Wednesday, notching a clinical 19-7 victory over the host Muhlenberg Mules (7-2, 1-2 CC) at Scotty Wood Stadium. Although the Fords scored plenty of goals on the offensive end, the defense turned in one of the finest performances of the season, allowing a season-low seven goals.
Getting things started for Haverford were Callie Crawford, Roma Hladky, and Lizzie Healy. The trio scored six combined goals (two goals each) in the opening ten minutes. Also scoring in the first period were Tiffany Mikulis and Hannah Lopez.
The Fords did well to keep the Mules from even attempting shots on the defensive side. Although Muhlenberg scored two goals in the opening period, the hosts only had four attempts compared to Haverford's 14 shots in that opening frame. In addition, the Fords almost shut out the Mules on draw controls, going 10-11.
Healy and Hladky each completed a hat-trick in the second period as the Fords continued to pour on the goals. Seemingly assisting goal after goal was Katharine Ference, who recorded four assists before halftime. Haverford completely dominated every part of the field during that opening half, outscoring Muhlenberg 7-0 in the second period. The Fords had 24 attempts on net, and eight of their 15 goals were assisted. Sarah Cahn recorded two saves in the game before Annie Bravacos replaced her in the third period.
Muhlenberg ended the scoring drought at the 12:41 mark of the third period. Still, Haverford answered with two quick goals from Healy and Sam Silverman. Those strikes would be the only action of the third period as the Fords took their foot slightly off the gas, working in a larger grouping of reserves with the running clock triggered. Haverford collected eight ground balls through three periods, with Kate Severtson leading the way with two.
The Mules gave themselves something positive to go out on, scoring four goals in the fourth period while also outscoring the Fords 5-4 in the second half. Nancy Tucker scored her fourth goal of the season to end the Mules' unanswered run of two. Abby Bonner then scored from the free position with 2:44 left to play for her first career Haverford goal.
Healy led all scorers with four goals, bringing her season total to seven. Ference added a second half assist to give her five for the game and 24 for the season. Bravacos, who played the fourth quarter, registered two saves and allowed two goals. Silverman and Hladky finished the game with three goals, while Crawford and Ference each scored two.
The Fords improve to 29-11 all-time against Muhlenberg, posting a second consecutive win overall in the series. The Fords have not lost in Allentown since the 2014 season.
Haverford now heads to Westminster, Maryland, on Sunday, April 10, to take on McDaniel in hopes of their third consecutive win in the conference. The opening draw for that contest is slated for 12 p.m.