HAVERFORD, Pa. - Matching their longest winning streak of the season of four games, the 22nd-ranked Haverford College women's lacrosse team (9-3, 4-1 CC) held on for a 16-14 win over the visiting Shorewomen of Washington College (4-8, 2-3 CC) on Saturday. The leading scorer for the Fords changes week-to-week, and it was Roma Hladky's turn to lead the way with seven goals. The victory was especially cathartic for the Haverford program as the Fords finally broke through after six consecutive losses to Washington College dating back to 2014, including three contests decided by two goals or less.
Katharine Ference was the orchestrator for Haverford throughout the contest. The senior delivered one assist after another on her way to a seven-assist afternoon, matching a program record. The first went to Lizzie Healy to start the scoring for the Fords at the 14:37 mark. Immediately after the goal, the Shorewomen took the ball down the field after the draw control and scored, with the goal going to Abby Laubach.
The teams continued to trade goals for the remainder of the period. Sam Silverman and Hladky scored the following two goals for Haverford, with Washington College answering both. Callie Crawford gave the Fords the lead after one with her goal at the 2:38 mark. Crawford finished with two goals, giving her 33 goals for the season.
The second period was full of small runs from both teams. In total, eleven goals were scored in the fast-paced affair. After Washington College's Molly Sharpe opened the scoring, Hladky took matters into her own hands, scoring three straight goals to put Haverford up 7-4 in the opening seven minutes. Washington College answered with two-straight goals of their own to get within one before Julia Curran's player-up goal put the Fords back up two with three minutes remaining.
Tiffany Mikulis and Hladky scored once more for Haverford's remaining goals of the period. Still, the Shorewomen kept things close with timely scores. Running the show, Ference recorded four of her seven assists in the period as Haverford took a 10-8 lead into halftime. The Fords narrowly won the first-half shot battle 17-15 and turned the Shorewomen over five times.
Even though the score remained somewhat close, the Fords remained calm and controlled most of the game's pace. The game slowed down in the third period as five goals were scored compared to the abundance of tallies in the second period. Mikulis and Hladky scored in that stretch for Haverford, only to be slightly outscored by the Shorewomen. Colleen Keefe, Ellie Morrall, and Ashley Devlin added goals for Washington College as they trailed 12-11 going into the fourth.
The Fords held off the Shorewomen in the fourth period, making it look comfortable despite the score line. With goals from Silverman, Hladky, Jordan Denaver, and the Fords protecting a two-goal lead, Callie Crawford scored the dagger with 3:41 remaining in the game. As Haverford saw the game out, Washington College found the back of the net with a consolation goal coming with 2:20 remaining on the clock.
Silverman and Mikulis finished the game with two goals. Senior goalie Sarah Cahn improved to 9-3 on the year after a nine-save performance, and Crawford led the way with three ground balls. With the win, the Fords sit in third place in the conference with four games remaining.
Haverford now takes a short trip up Lancaster Avenue on Wednesday, April 20, to take on Bryn Mawr in hopes of extending the win streak to five. The opening draw for that contest is slated for 4:30 p.m.