LANCASTER, Pa. - The No. 23 Haverford College women's lacrosse team (12-6) fell to No. 4 Franklin & Marshall (15-3) by a 14-5 final on Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference women's lacrosse tournament at Shadek Stadium.
Tiffany Mikulis led the way offensively for the Fords, scoring two goals. Kylie Kearon, Brooke Epstein, and Abby Bonner all tallied one goal in the semifinal contest. On the defensive side of the ball, reigning Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week Lauren Paprocki, caused three turnovers, and scooped up four ground balls. Eva Baumann and Finley Jordan both caused three turnovers and collected two ground balls each. In between the posts, Lizzie Symonds made 13 saves, facing a total of 32 shots.
Haverford got out to a hot start to begin the contest, as unassisted goals from Mikulis and Kylie Kearon gave the Fords a 2-0 lead at the 12:45 mark in the first quarter. However, the Diplomats went on a 4-0 first quarter surge from that point, as a goal from Lydia Cassily and a hat-trick from Lauren Pittman, gave the hosts a 4-2 lead to end the opening stanza.
F&M continued their strong form from the first quarter, going on a 3-0 scoring run to begin quarter number two. Gillian Brennan, Pittman, and Cassilly all found the back of the net, to extend the F&M lead to 7-2 with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. The final 13 minutes of the frame were a defensive showdown between the two teams, until Epstein found nylon with 1:22 left, trimming the Franklin & Marshall advantage down to just four at 7-3 with the second half looming.
The 12:05 mark of the third quarter saw the first goal of the second half, as Cassilly's third goal of the contest increased the Diplomats' lead to 8-3. F&M continued to get the better of the Scarlet and Black in the third period, as goals from Devyn Crone, Brennan, Lane Lambeth, and Cassilly gave Franklin & Marshall a commanding 12-3 lead with just one quarter to go.
Kate McLam created a 10-goal gap between the schools to begin the fourth quarter, before an Adde Hollander goal at the 4:06 mark pushed the Diplomats lead to 14-3. The Fords tacked on their fourth goal of the game at the 2:25 mark, as Abby Bonner's goal shortened the lead back to 14-4, followed by another Mikulis goal with 1:25 left that cut the F&M deficit down to 14-5. However, the clock would run out on the Fords' title hopes, as Haverford was eliminated by Franklin & Marshall, 14-5.
Following the Centennial Conference tournament defeat to the Diplomats, Haverford now sets their eyes on a potential NCAA tournament bid, as women's lacrosse is currently ranked fifth in Region IV and ranked 23rd in the IWLCA national poll. The 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Selection Show will air Monday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m on NCAA.com