Box Score LANCASTER, Pa. – Haverford scored a goal on each side of halftime to defeat Franklin & Marshall 2-0 Saturday night in Centennial Conference (CC) women's soccer action at Tylus Field. The loss takes the Diplomats to 3-7-1 overall and 1-4 in the conference, while the Fords improved to 8-2-1 and 1-2-1.
Play opened slowly, with neither team gaining much momentum in the early minutes. As the half went on, Haverford began to assert itself, putting the F&M defense under pressure with shots and corner kicks.
The pressure paid off in the 34th minute when Jo Haller broke the deadlock for the Fords. Haller initially had a shot saved by Diplomat goalkeeper Shannon Johnson-Finn, but the ensuing rebound fell to Anna Dekle who made a short cross back to Haller, who converted on the second attempt.
At halftime, the score remained 1-0 despite sizable advantages for Haverford in both shots and corners.
The Fords added insurance early in the second half. A ball through the right side of the Diplomat defense met Grace Mathis, who slotted the ball into the far post for the 2-0 advantage.
Neither team produced too much offense until the 86th minute when F&M earned a flurry of shots on the Haverford goal. The first attempt came when Kate Kerr fought her way through the left side of the Ford defense, only to have her close-range effort blocked by the Haverford goalie. The resulting rebound fell to Isabella Raspa, whose ensuing shot was blocked by a Ford defender, only to have Kate Kerr pounce on the rebound and force another blocked shot from the defense.
F&M outshot Haverford 5-2 in the second half, but trailed in shots overall at 11-5.
The Diplomats return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Westminster, Md. for a 4:00 CC match with McDaniel.
