SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Not even the rain could slow down the Haverford College field hockey team Wednesday afternoon as the Fords outscored host Swarthmore College, 8-1, in a Centennial Conference win that clinched the third place spot in the league standings.
Sophomore Mary Hobbs' first four-goal game propelled the Fords (12-4, 7-2 CC) to their fifth consecutive triumph over Swarthmore (6-11, 3-6). The 12th win of the season by Haverford ties a program best set by the 1990 squad who finished with a 12-3-3 record.
Hobbs got the ball rolling for the Fords with goals in the third and 10th minutes of action. After teammate Margaret Selsor put Haverford in front by three scores, Hobbs added another in the 21st minute creating a four-goal cushion at the intermission.
Haverford scored four more times during the second 35 minute session with Hobbs adding her fourth of the day, Juliana Morgan-Trostle picking up a pair of scores, and Bryn Bissey registering her fourth tally of the season.
Alex Waleko's two assists in the contest pushes her career points total to 99, just one shy of the becoming the first player in program history to crack the century mark. The assists also pushed Waleko's season points total to 45 which breaks the previous program mark of 44 set by Colleen Farrell in 2007.
Maggie Cronin started the game in goal for Haverford and finished with one save while not allowing a goal. Courtney Knill came on in relief during the second half adding two saves and surrendering one goal. Cronin gets the credit for the win which puts her career total at 27, tying the career mark for Haverford net minders.
Heading into the game, the Fords looked to have a postseason Centennial playoff spot sewed up, but several teams were still in the mix for the final three or four berths. Wednesday's win assures the Fords of a season record that, at worst, would leave them tied with Gettysburg for third place, but Haverford would receive the spot by virtue of coming out ahead in the first tiebreaker -- head to head match-up -- having beaten the Bullets earlier in the season.
The regular season finale for Haverford is Saturday when McDaniel College visits Swan Field for a Noon time affair. The playoffs begin Wednesday with the No. 4-seed versus No. 5 game followed by the semifinals and final over the weekend at top-seed Ursinus College.
In Hood Trophy competition between the Fords and Swarthmore, field hockey's victory Wednesday comes on the heels of women's soccer's win over the Garnet Tuesday night giving Haverford a 2-0 lead in the trophy standings.
