READING, Pa. - The No. 22 Haverford College Women's Lacrosse team (5-2) fended off a scare from host Albright (1-6) on Wednesday afternoon, turning away the Lions in a 14-12 decision with two goals in the final five minutes at Shirk Stadium. The strikes to take the lead for good came after Albright rallied with seven unanswered goals and eight of nine to tie the score at 12-12 with 5:04 to play in regulation.
Sam Silverman had a fantastic contest with four goals and an assist while Roma Hladky also added four goals and two draw controls to her impressive ledger this season. Katharine Ference did it all for the Fords with three goals, four draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover. Callie Crawford tallied an insurance goal with two seconds left off a free-position as the Fords eked out the road triumph.
In a game of runs from both teams, the Fords got out to a 3-0 spurt in the first quarter after a sluggish start. Hladky tallied twice in that mini-run before Silverman put one in off a free-position for a 4-3 Haverford lead with one minute left in the stanza. The second quarter saw the Fords grow their advantage steadily, with Hladky, Silverman, and Ference each tallying to give the Fords a three-goal cushion heading into the halftime intermission.
Out of the halftime gates, the Fords looked prepared to cruise to the win. Hladky tallied ahead of consecutive quick strikes from Crawford as the Fords were ahead comfortably by six at 10-4. Ference then took a feed to Hannah Lopez for her third of the contest, and the Fords were in command with 9:25 left in the third quarter. From that point, Albright added a pair of goals to end the third, with Kayte Moist and Katelyn Patrick each tallying, but Haverford looked to be in good shape with a five-goal cushion still in hand.
Unfortunately, Albright took command of the draw control battle, winning five in the third quarter and five in the fourth, regaining key possessions and setting the tempo of the second half. Albright committed six turnovers in the first 15 minutes of action, but settled into the contest late. Despite the Fords frustrating the Lions into an 11-for-17 clear mark, rapid fire goals from a bevy of offensive contributors allowed Albright right back into the game. The tying tally came off the stick of Ashleigh Tortorice as Albright scored seven goals in just over eight minutes of play.
Silverman took advantage of a man-up opportunity with 6:35 to go, briefly restoring the Haverford lead, but Albright rallied back with a goal from Chloe Fornoff with 5:04 showing on the clock. From that point, a clutch draw control from Crawford led to a Silverman goal with 4:33 left, giving the lead to Haverford.
Crawford again won the next draw, and Haverford was able to chew clock with three fruitless shots before Albright scooped the ball in its attacking third but fired wide of the goal on the other ernd. Lauren Kinne forced a turnover with 1:51 to play, and Haverford then called for timeout clinging to its lead and possession. A turnover in the attacking third gave Albright some late life, but the momentum was quickly thwarted as Crawford caused a turnover with 1:22 to play, allowing Haverford to set the stage for her late insurance goal from the free-position spot.
Sarah Cahn saw the first half of action in goal, making seven saves, while Annie Bravacos worked the second half in a relief role. The Fords were just 4-of-10 from the free-position line, but made their presence felt with 15 ground balls and seven caused turnovers in the contest.
Kate Severtson scooped three ground balls while Jordan Denaver matched a game-best with two caused turnovers. Haverford was facing off with Albright for just the second time in program history. The Fords dispatched the Lions by an 18-6 final back on March 4, 2020.
The Fords now open Centennial Conference play on Saturday in a ranked showdown against No. 2 Gettysburg. The Bullets (5-2) are coming off a midweek loss to No. 10 Tufts (4-1), as the Jumbos came in during their spring break week and left Shirk Field with a 16-9 victory after scoring seven of the final nine goals of the contest.