CHESTERTOWN, Md. - The Haverford College men's soccer team (2-6-1, 1-2-0 CC) fell to No. 24 Washington College (7-2-0, 3-0-0 CC) on Wednesday in Chestertown, by a score of 2-1. In its third Centennial Conference game, the Fords looked patient and methodical in their approach to start but were left with an uphill battle after two early goals from the Shoremen in the first half.
Haverford had to be focused early, as Washington College would register their first shot after just 21 seconds. The play initially looked threatening, but the shot would go wide left. After that, the Fords looked to gain control, doing their best to keep possession and move the ball around. Finally, in the ninth minute, the men's team got their first attempted shot of the game from Brian Lorenz, but he couldn't keep it on target.
After a stoppage of play due to an injury, the Shoremen looked to attack quickly and were rewarded after Greg Adams slotted home his shot in the 14th minute. Two minutes later, Adams would grab another with the assist going to Harrison Malone.
As the game moved into the last minutes of the first half, the Fords continued to look for their chances. They controlled most of the possession and looked to string passes together in the final third, but Washington College was tough to break down. However, that would all change as the Fords grabbed a goal back after a corner kick in the 33rd minute. Tomas Ascoli was able to find the head of Matt Heim, who made no mistake in his finish. It was Heim's first goal of the season.
The goal gave the Fords a jolt of energy, and they continued to keep the ball in the Shoremen's half. They finished with four total shots in the first half and looked primed to find an equalizer going into the second half of play.
The game resumed in the second half, with both teams evenly matched. However, neither team could keep possession for a significant amount of time. Both Haverford and WAC registered shots within the first five minutes but nothing threatening.
The Shoremen looked for opportunities to increase their lead, but the Fords' defense stood firm. With well-timed tackles and forcing Washington College's shots wide, Haverford kept themselves in the game. Goalkeeper Dylan Ioffreda had a fantastic tip save over the crossbar in the 66th minute to continue the defensive effort.
Haverford would get a few more chances, but in the end, Washington College's two goals were enough to see out the result, despite the Fords outshooting the Shoremen 11-10.
The Fords return to action on Saturday at home against Muhlenberg at 12 p.m. Haverford then goes again Wednesday, October 6 against Rutgers-Camden at 4 p.m.