HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's soccer team (0-3) dropped a 4-3 overtime thriller to No. 15 Rowan (4-0) on Saturday afternoon in the Jimmy Mills Tournament at Walton Field. The back-and-forth roller coaster of a contest included a flurry of four goals in the second period. Haverford pounced out to a 3-1 lead before Rowan quickly equalized at 3-3 to set up the overtime game-winner.
Paul-Andre Coulibaly opened the scoring in the 13th minute, scoring off an assist from Andrew Peebles on Haverford's first shot attempt of the afternoon. Coulibaly tapped in a free kick from Peebles to give the Fords an early advantage and the momentum in the early goings. Rowan equalized in the 30th minute off a header from Luke Yates, but Haverford's offensive intensity was firmly on display with a shot from Tommy Hull blocked in the 40th minute before Luca Mello fired a shot high in the 43rd. Dylan Ioffreda made five first half saves to deny a formidable Profs offense, and on the other end, Haverford made the most of three shot attempts in the first stanza.
The improbable stretch in the second half began in the 60th minute with Cyrus Nasseri sending a cross in to a diving Luca Mello, allowing Mello to keenly finish down low for a 2-1 lead. On the very next Haverford offensive chance, less than a full minute later, Coulibaly again delivered an electric strike from 30 yards out, beating the Rowan keeper with a rocket into the top right corner.
With the two goal cushion in hand for the hosts, it was now desperation time for Rowan and the Profs proved their mettle as a squad ranked in the national polls, scoring two goals in less than a minute themselves. Wilby Alfred cut the lead to just one in the 68th minute, one-timing a free-kick from Leo Montesinos into the back of the net. Off the restart, Alfred again teamed up with Montesinos to tie the score at three. Montesinos collected the ball near midfield and delivered a perfect through pass to Wilby who was in an excellent position for his second goal in less than 40 seconds.
The Fords had their own chances down the stretch, with Max Mouer, Ben Ward, and Caleb Miller all getting strong looks on goal, but the contest headed to overtime all level. In the extra period, the Fords earned a corner in the 93rd, but were met with heavy offensive pressure from Rowan in its attacking third. Haverford successfully defended a strong chance from Wilby, but Rowan found the winner off a corner kick in the 97th minute. The ball was played in and found the foot of Michael Ferrara, who passed across the box to Aaron Robertson. Robertson hammered home the winner, allowing the Profs to escape.
The Fords return to action on Sunday, wrapping up the Jimmy Mills Tournament at 2:20 p.m. against Widener. Rowan and Washington College will do battle in the first game of the day, with kickoff set for noon.