HAVERFORD, Pa. - Facing an enormous challenge in its first Centennial Conference contest of the season, the Haverford College women's lacrosse team fell 17-7 to top-ranked Gettysburg College.

The Fords (1-5, 0-1 CC) scored the game's first goal three minutes into action on a Megan Gallagher tally but the Bullets (5-0, 1-0), the defending national champion, answered with eight of the next nine to open up an 8-2 lead with just over nine minutes remaining in the half. Haverford sliced the deficit to four when Diana Perry scored her 10th of the season and Alexa Pesce, scoring on a free position shot, found the back of the net with 2:58 on the clock. Gettysburg, however, closed out the scoring in the opening stanza with two straight before intermission.

Trailing by 10-4 at the break, the Fords looked for an offensive surge of their own in the second half but the Bullets shut the door defensively holding Haverford to three goals on just six shots over the remainder of the game. 

Going 17-of-18 on clears for the game, the Fords displayed a gritty defensive performance against the high-powered Gettsyburg offense as they recovered 19 ground balls. Anne Cullen and Brianna Robbins led the effort with four apiece.

Gallagher, Perry, and Pesce all finished with two goals each for Haverford while Jenn Schmidt added two assists.

Kelsey Markiewicz tallied five goals to lead a Bullets' attack that fired 32 shots on the day.

The Fords get back into non-conference action on Wednesday as they face Eastern University at Swan Field at 4 p.m.