HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's soccer team (2-2-1) suffered a 4-1 setback to Skidmore (2-1-1) on Sunday, battling conditions at a rain-soaked Swan Field, as the contest was played in a driving rain throughout much of the match.
The first half was a fast-paced, but ultimately scoreless frame as both sides started to get comfortable with the higher pace required on wet, glide-friendly turf. Skidmore had some early chances that goalkeeper Ben Menko dealt with valiantly in his first start of the season, and Bobby Stratts did the same on the other side of the field for the Thoroughbreds, turning away some strong early chances from Andrew Fritz and Luca Mello in the 18th minute. In the 20th, Mello again fired deftly on target, and Haverford had a look right before the halftime intermission as Tomas Ascoli missed wide with his shot.
In total, Skidmore held a 7-5 advantage in shots in the first half before the offensive action ramped up in the second. Brady Trenchard scored on a liner past Menko in the 48th minute, and Skidmore then hit the post on its next offensive possession, as the speedy forwards for the visitors did well to make runs and get into great position to receive feeds from the backs and midfielders as the Thoroughbreds displayed great energy in the attacking third.
The Fords countered that energy with a spurt of their own as Cyrus Nasseri had a good look on goal in the 49th minute. Menko was called into action to reject a shot from Kamal Ibrahim in the 51st minute., and Skidmore doubled its advantage in the 54th minute as Finn Weber had his initial shot blocked, but the deflection found his waiting foot and he was able to slide the ball past Menko for a 2-0 lead.
Haverford had perhaps its best offensive chance of the second half in the 55th minute as Nasseri rocketed a shot that Stratts had to lunge to save. With the ball still bouncing around the box, Conrad Coyanda-Parkzes appeared to have a chance at cutting the lead to one, but Stratts corralled the second shot of the flurry to keep the game scoreless.
Skidmore added its third goal in the 72nd, scoring off a corner as Kamal Ibrahim made a header dive to knock the entry pass into the back of the goal. The lead ballooned to 4-0 with Ibrahim finding his second tally of the half. Haverford got on the scoreboard in the 79th minute as Paul-Andre Coulibaly knocked in a penalty kick after a foul in the box, his third goal of the young season.
The second half featured 32 of 44 shots in the contest, and five of the nine corners in addition to all six yellow cards. Finn Weber had a game-high six shots, putting two of those on frame, while Ibrahim added four shots on goal. Andrew Fritz and Paul-Andre Coulibaly each had three shots to lead Haverford.
The two sides were meeting for the first time. The Fords will have another opportunity to tune-up for the conference slate on Wednesday, as Haverford welcomes Arcadia to campus for a 4 p.m. kickoff. Men's Soccer will then open up Centennial Conference play against Dickinson on Saturday, September 17. The contest is the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team, and will begin at 3 p.m.
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