WESTMINSTER, Md. – The Haverford College women's lacrosse team rallied from five goals down in the second half but suffered a heartbreaking 13-12 double-overtime loss to host McDaniel College Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference action.
Trailing 11-6 with just 3:57 to play in regulation, Haverford (11-3, 4-3 CC) sprang to life and scored five unanswered goals capped by Josie Ferri's tying tally with 80 seconds left on the clock.
McDaniel (9-5, 3-4 CC) led by four at the half and eventually stretched their lead to five on Kelly Scheler's score off a free position shot at the 12:12 mark of the second stanza.
Kayleigh Herrick-Reynolds started the Haverford rally with an unassisted goal not quite nine minutes later. Ferri scored 23 seconds later followed by a Jen Schmidt goal with 2:22 left.
Grace Stockbower then pulled the Fords within one at the 1:57 mark with just her third goal of the season. Ferri's tying score followed 37 seconds later completing the comeback and sending the game into extra time.
In the first overtime period, McDaniels' Brittany Baer notched her sixth goal of the game, coming on a free position attempt, but not even 40 seconds later Herrick-Reynolds took her turn and converted a free position opportunity to tie things up and eventually send the contest into yet another overtime period.
McDaniels' Baer gained possession on the opening draw control and brought the ball down field into the Fords' defensive end. A Haverford foul set Baer up with another free position shot but goalie Siobhan Neitzel kept the Fords in the game with a save.
However, the Green Terror's Kelly Scheler picked up the ground ball off the rebound to retain possession and 31 seconds later Paige Messersmith ended the game for the home team with her second of the contest.
Ferri finished with four goals in the loss while Herrick-Reynolds and Schmidt each scored twice.
Though the Green Terror held a 12-8 advantage in free position opportunities, Haverford converted four of their chances while limiting McDaniel to just two successful tries.
In goal for the Fords, starter Leah Hammerschlag finished with eight saves in the first half. Neitzel registered 10 saves over the second half and overtime periods but ended up taking the loss. McDaniel net-minder Leanne Hollinger earned the win making six saves.
The loss drops Haverford into fourth place within the league standings, one game ahead of McDaniel, Muhlenberg and Dickinson, with two conference games remaining on the slate.
Wednesday night the Fords will be visited by Swarthmore College (7-7, 1-6 CC) and will then close out the regular season Saturday afternoon at No. 4 Franklin & Marshall College (11-1, 7-0 CC).
