SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The No. 19 Haverford College field hockey team (13-5) saw its 2021 season come to a close on Tuesday with a 2-0 loss to Swarthmore (13-5) in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament at Clothier Field. A fourth quarter surge from the fifth-seeded Fords was not enough to erase a pair of Garnet goals as fourth-seeded Swarthmore advanced to a semifinal meeting with top-seeded Johns Hopkins on Friday afternoon.
Hannah Roth was again called on to make her 18th start of the season, as she saw every minute in the cage for the Fords this season. Roth was forced into action early and was up for the task as she stopped a shot attempt from Samantha Meacock in the ninth minute as the hosts earned the first corner of the contest. After a second corner was awarded to the Garnet in the 12th minute, Martina Kampel drove into the circle off a centering pass and did the work to get into a strong position and fire past Roth to open the scoring.
Chasing the equalizer, the Fords had a great chance in the 21st minute as Delaney Snowden launched a shot on target, but Haverford faced a 1-0 deficit entering the halftime intermission. Swarthmore doubled its advantage to 2-0 with the first offensive chance of the third quarter. Roth saved a shot from Katherine Kohn but she was able to corral the rebound and fire home in the 36th minute of play.
Now in a two-goal hole, Haverford stepped up the intensity offensively earning three penalty corners in the period in a frantic chase to get back into the contest. Keishla Sanchez fired wide in the 39th in Haverford's best offensive chance of the quarter. Defensively, Caroline Channell made a stellar defensive save to deny Meacock from adding another goal in the 45th minute.
The offensive rhythm of the fourth quarter belonged solely to Haverford, with Anna Kirn and Channell each getting solid looks on frame in the 51st and 52nd minutes. The Fords added the final six shots of the contest with Swarthmore content to play for possession. A flurry of activity in the attacking circle saw Ravenel Davis test Aron Lankford before Kirn notched a shot on frame. Chelsea Semper lunged to make a defensive save on the dangerous attempt. In the 56th minute, the Fords were awarded the final penalty corner of the afternoon, as Delaney Snowden saw her shot attempt saved by the Swarthmore goalkeeper.
In total, Haverford held an 8-6 advantage in shots and a 6-3 advantage in penalty corners. Davis, Kirn, and Snowden each logged a pair of shots. Roth made three saves while her counterpart Aron Lankford logged six shots in a shutout effort.
The loss brings the 2021 season to a close as the Fords certainly made waves with a great campaign that captivated the campus community, entering the national and regional rankings while coming just one win shy of matching the program's single-season wins record. Haverford notched a pair of ranked wins over No. 8 Rowan and No. 18 Franklin & Marshall, and won 13 of the first 15 contests overall.
Haverford was making its first appearance in the CC tournament since a semifinal trip during the 2017 season, and ninth postseason appearance overall. The Fords will now await the release of the All-Centennial Conference teams and postseason awards, which are expected to be unveiled early next week.