Centennial Conference Championship Central
Wednesday, May 4 | Chestertown, Md.
First Round: #4 Washington College 10, #5 Swarthmore 6
Saturday, May 7 | Gettysburg, Pa.
Semifinal 1: #1 Gettysburg vs. #4 Washington College, noon
Semifinal 2: #2 Franklin & Marshall vs. #3 Haverford, 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 8 | Gettysburg, Pa.
Championship: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
HAVERFORD, Pa. - Back in the Centennial Conference tournament for the third consecutive edition, the No. 22 Haverford College women's lacrosse team (12-4, 7-2 CC) will compete in semifinal action on Saturday at Gettysburg College against No. 4 Franklin & Marshall (3 p.m.)
The 2022 campaign is just the second time in program history the Fords have secured a top three seed in the CC tournament, with the last coming in 2013. The Fords are still looking for their first CC championship game appearance.
Haverford has now reached the tournament in each season that it has been held during the tenure of Head Coach Katie Zichelli. The Fords will face off with Franklin & Marshall for the second consecutive weekend after facing the Diplomats on Senior Day at Swan Field on Saturday, April 30. In that contest, it was F&M coming away with the road victory to secure the second seed in the conference tournament by a seven-goal margin. The Fords have not beaten the Diplomats since 2000, but have lost by just one goal in two of the last four total meetings. This is the third total, and second consecutive CC semifinal matchup between the two sides.
The 22nd-ranked Fords have played strong against regionally and nationally ranked sides this season, and Haverford was rewarded for its strong play as it earned the sixth spot in the latest Region IV rankings release. The rankings mark the third consecutive regional ranking that Haverford has been included in during the duration of the 2022 season. Haverford solidified its number sixth position with victories over regionally ranked squads Scranton (No. 9, Region IV), Christopher Newport (No. 5, Region V), and St. Mary's of Maryland (No. 9, Region VI) this season.
One of the hallmarks of the squad in 2022 has been a relentless offensive pressure as Haverford has a bevy of goal scorers willing to stuff the stat sheet and apply pressure in front of goal. In the latest Centennial Conference statistical rankings, the Fords are second in shooting percentage (49.7 percent) and first shots on goal percentage (80 percent).
Roma Hladky leads the conference with 57 goals while Callie Crawford is third with 48 tallies. Always there to assist, Katharine Ference has 46 helpers, 10 more than anyone else in the Centennial Conference as the rhythm of the offense has been showcased in a 7-1 stretch in CC play in April.
The winner of this weekend's Centennial Conference Championship will take home the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The NCAA selection show is slated for Monday, May 9 at 10:30 a.m.
A live video stream and live stats for each game of the Centennial Conference women's lacrosse tournament will be made available via the Centennial Conference Digital Network. Fans are also encouraged to check in with the Centennial Conference Championship Central page for all the latest updates on the spring championship slate.
Fords Fans are encouraged to follow @HCFords_Sports on Twitter and @HCFordsSports on Instagram for the latest updates on postseason action.