HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's lacrosse team (11-5, 7-2 CC) finished the regular season with a 16-11 victory over Hood Trophy rival Swarthmore (10-6, 3-6 CC) on Saturday at Swan Field, honoring seven seniors prior to the victory over the Garnet.
Prior to the opening draw, the Fords had the chance to honor the Class of 2023 seniors, Julia Curran, Sam Silverman, Lia Herzig, Katharine Ference, Lauren Kinne, Nancy Tucker, and Joanna Gengo.
First-year Brooke Epstein added five goals, while Silverman and Mikulis each added four goals. Ference notched three assists and Bravacos, Silverman, and Mikulis each notched three ground balls. Mikulis controlled six draws to pace the Fords. When things got started, Haverford used some of that momentum from the pregame ceremony to open up on a 3-0 run.
Epstein stole the show with two early tallies, with Ference assisting the second tally. Silverman added a free-position, and the Fords looked to have everything cooking on four burners in the early goings of the game. Swarthmore regrouped, and proved quickly that the Garnet would not go away quietly, pulling back a pair of tallies to trim the lead to just 3-2 in the final four minutes of the opening period.
As she has done all season long, the Centennial Conference's leading goal scorer Tiffany Mikulis had a major impact early, adding a goal at 2:42 and later finding Ference for a strike with just 40 seconds remaining in the first period.
Silverman again tallied from the free-position spot, and Mikulis completed her hat-trick with back-to-back strikes at 5:14 and 4:35 remaining in the first half. Swarthmore scored two of the final three goals of the first half, but Haverford went to the intermission up by three at 9-6.
Out of the second half gates, Epstein added two more goals, with Herzig providing an assist at 10:53 as the Fords were suddenly out to a five-goal lead at 11-6. The run continued with Ference, Silverman, and Curran all scoring to put Haverford up by seven at 14-6 with 5:41 remaining in the third.
The Garnet then went on a 5-0 run, proving to make things a bit tight in the fourth quarter. Isabela Bloomquist, Elizabeth Zack, and Sophie Finkelstein all tallied in that stretch, as suddenly the Fords were clinging to just a three-goal lead with 7:29 to play. The Fords went back to a familiar formula, with Epstein driving towards the cage for an unassisted goal with 6:39 to play, and Mikulis scoring the final goal of the contest with 5:14 remaining.
Each team was held scoreless in the final five minutes, as Annie Bravacos turned away an Emma Holub shot with two minutes left, the final of her seven saves, and Epstein caused a turnover in the stretch to put a bow on a well-rounded effort.
Haverford held an 18-10 advantage in ground balls, and outshot the Garnet 34-22.
The Fords will now again continue the 2023 campaign into the postseason, earning the three-seed and opening up with a Centennial Conference First Round contest against sixth-seeded Muhlenberg on Wednesday, May 3 on Swan Field. Game times and further details will be finalized on Monday's Centennial postseason conference calls.