HAVERFORD, Pa. - In a matchup with Franklin & Marshall at home on Walton Field Wednesday, the Haverford College women's soccer team (6-5-2, 3-3-1 CC) was downed by an overtime goal from Haley Barge, as the Diplomats (10-1-1, 4-1-1 CC) walked away with the win after the late attempt on net.
The Fords and Diplomats were evenly matched to start the game. The first 20 minutes saw each team looking to execute their game plan. However, Haverford began to gain the upper hand in the latter minutes of the first half. Liv McMillan had the first attempt for the Fords with 23 minutes left in the half, but it sailed wide. After that, the team would feed off the energy, and another opportunity came in the 29th minute. Celia Page seemed to time her run flawlessly for a breakaway, but as she looked to the sideline, the sideline ref had his flag raised for offsides.
Haverford looked dangerous and was certainly matching the physical play from Franklin & Marshall. Hannah Friedrich finished the first half with three saves, with the defense keeping things in check when they had to with notably strong play from Karlie Pollock on the back line.
In the second half, the Fords defense was tested early. Still, again, it was that defense frustrating the offense of F&M with their suffocating pressure. Page then looked to make her mark on the game. She had a shot blocked in the first minute of the second half and then another attempt in the 52nd minute sailed over the net.
Following Page's efforts, Sarah Klink had a pair of headers in the 59th minute and 74th minute. Those attempts missed over the net and wide, respectively. The Fords would win a few free-kicks in the opponent's half to end the half, but they wouldn't create any real chances for the team as the game went into overtime. Friedrich was needed late in the 83rd minute with a huge save to stop an F&M player from getting the winner.
In the first half of overtime, the Diplomats came out on the front foot and created more chances for their side. As both teams traded quick spells of possession, the ball became free with 1:37 left in overtime. Sophie Koziol was able to slip a pass to Barge, who put the game away with her shot towards the far corner of the goal, ending the game 1-0.
Friedrich finished the game with five saves while Page led Haverford with three shots on the afternoon. The Fords tallied five corner kicks in the contest.
The Fords now return to action with a weekend conference trip to Westminster, Maryland, to take on seventh-ranked McDaniel. The start time for the Saturday afternoon contest is 3:30 p.m.