UNION, N.J. - The Haverford College men's lacrosse team (4-3) won its second consecutive contest as it jumped out to a 10-4 halftime advantage against reigning CSAC champions Kean (3-1) on Saturday afternoon at Kean Alumni Stadium, holding on for a 12-11 victory as the second-half comeback for the host Cougars came up just short.
Sean Mowatt-Larssen had a hat-trick on Saturday, notching three goals on seven shots on frame. Blake Brinster, Will Graves and Matt Richards each added two-goal games. Eric Dahlberg scooped eight ground balls while Samuel Millie caused a pair of turnovers. In goal, Jacob Abraham was credited with the victory after working the first half of action, making 11 saves on 18 shots faced.
The Fords got out to the early lead with some strong offensive intensity in the first 15 minutes of action. Haverford got out to a 5-0 lead behind Mowatt-Larssen and Richards each notching a pair while Dahlberg also added a tallie. Kean finally got on the scoreboard with 7:21 remaining in the first, but Haverford responded with a goal from Jonathan Moon for a 6-1 lead.
Kean responded with a 3-0 rally of its own, cutting things to 6-4 with 11:51 remaining in the first half, but Haverford then scored the final four tallies of the first half, with Brinster, Graves, and Devin Lefkowitz all lighting the lamp to give the Fords a 10-4 lead healing into the intermission. In a tale of two halves, it was Kean that looked like the stronger team in the second half, rallying with a flurry of goals as Dante Magliano and Anthony Porter scored in close succession to trim the lead to 11-8 with 1:13 left in the penultimate quarter.
Graves stopped the Kean run with a tally that came with just 23 seconds left in the third, but Kean had the upper hand in the fourth, scoring twice in the early part of the frame to pull to within two at 12-10. Kean won possession and later took advantage of a Haverford turnover, causing a shot clock violation on the Fords to get the ball back with 2:04 to go. The Cougars then again found the back of the net with just 1:18 to play, with Tommy Pellegrino adding his second of the period.
A huge face-off win from Teddy Carlin following that goal helped give possession back to the Fords and seal the win, allowing Haverford to escape Union with its fourth victory of the season. In total, Carlin went 7-14 from the X, while Drew Buck added an impressive performance, going 10-13 from the faceoff spot. The Fords were a perfect 18-for-18 on clear attempts, and scooped 35 ground balls to just 31 for Kean. The Cougars frustrated Haverford into turnovers in their offensive third, as the Fords made 16 turnovers despite the perfect clear percentage.
The matchup was the first between the two sides in nearly 31 years, as the last meeting between the two programs prior to Saturday was a March 20, 1991 matchup on the Haverford Campus, a 17-14 Kean victory.
The Fords now open Centennial Conference play on Saturday, March 26, heading to No. 10 Gettysburg for a 1 p.m. opening faceoff with the Bullets.