HAVERFORD, Pa. - Marking a triumphant return to Walton Field, the Haverford College men's soccer team (1-0) earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over visiting Cabrini (0-1) in the lid-lifter for both teams on Thursday afternoon.
In front of a packed crowd eager to celebrate the return of Haverford Athletics for the fall, men's soccer certainly proved to entertain the frenzied Fords supporters with an offensive showcase. A huge roar from that partisan crowd came early when Andrew Fritz notched one off the crossbar in the 27th minute, further evidence that the Fords had the offensive edge, with dangerous attacks into the attacking third materializing in the early goings of play.
Paul-Andre Coulibaly finished in the 33rd minute, taking an assist off a fantastic through ball from Tommy Hull and sending one just past the reach of the Cabrini goalkeeper, who did well to knock down the screaming liner. After Luca Mello had a strong attempt in the 36th, it was Hull finding the back of the net in the 44th minute, taking a perfect feed from Mello at the top of the box and threading an expertly placed shot home to double up the advantage at 2-0.
Strong connections were again the theme for Haverford in the second half, as Alex Millones got on the scoreboard after Coulibaly found him at the top of the box with another well-placed helper. Millones sent a shot past a lunging MJ Graham, finishing towards the near post for the 3-0 cushion.
The Fords proved to need that cushion as an undaunted Cabrini attack added a goal in the 59th minute. Nick LoBiondo finished a feed from Nolan Holloway to cut the lead back to just two. Some nervous moments for the Fords were later dealt with well by Dylan Ioffreda, and Hunter Rolles hit the crossbar in the 68th. Holloway added a goal in the 87th minute off a set piece, with Brian Sharkey sending a perfectly placed salvo into the box and the waiting foot of his teammate.
Haverford played a possession-minded final three minutes to seal a season-opening victory that at one point seemed much more straightforward. Ioffreda made three saves in his 90 minutes of work to pick up the win. The Fords outshot Cabrini 15-9, although Cabrini held a slight 7-6 edge in the second half. Each team added four corners in the contest. Coulibaly fired six total shots, including two on frame to lead all forwards on Thursday.
The Fords will look to continue the strong start to the season on Saturday, September 3 with a road trip to Wilkes. The kickoff of that contest is slated for 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to follow @HCFords_Sports on Twitter and @HCFordsSports on Instagram for the latest updates from Haverford Athletics.