ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College women's lacrosse team broke open a tight game with 11 second-half goals to sail past host Muhlenberg College, 18-11, on Wednesday afternoon in Centennial Conference action.
The Fords (4-5, 2-1 CC) had 10 different players register a goal on their way to their third-straight win while the Mules (4-3, 0-3) remain winless in conference play.
Haverford had to overcome a fast start by Muhlenberg in the intial 10 minutes of the contest as the Mules tallied three of the first four scores to jump out to a 3-1 lead.
Perrin Downing's eighth goal of the year with 15:57 on the clock began the Fords' rally. Two minutes later, Alexa Pesce set up Kenny Likes for a goal to forge a 3-3 tie. Megan Gallagher, recipient of another assist by Pesce, followed with her second of the game to give Haverford its first lead of the day.
After Muhlenberg's Kayleigh Thies tied the game at 4-4, Downing answered a minute later with her second of the half to push the Fords back out by one.
The two squads traded goals over the remaining 10 minutes of the half which provided Haverford with a narrow 7-6 lead at intermission.
Diminishing any thought of a rally by the Mules, the Fords scored five unanswered goals over the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Gallagher intiated the explosion with her third of the afternoon, which was soon followed by Diana Perry's team-leading 18th of the season and Downing's third unassisted tally of the contest. Pesce capped off the surge with back-to-back goals separated by 16 seconds to help Haverford open a 12-6 advantage.
Freshman Dayna Kim's second goal of the day, and third of her career, extended the Fords' lead to 18-9 before Muhlenberg closed out the scoring with two goals in the final minute of action.
Gallagher finished with four goals and an assist to lead the Haverford attack. Downing chipped in with three goals on three shots while Pesce registered two goals and two assists. Hannah Morgan matched Kim's output with two goals. Joining Perry and Likes with one goal on the day was Jen Schmidt, Josie Ferri, and Alexis Bond.
Accumulating six ground balls and causing four turnovers, Grace Stockbower was at the forefront of a strong defensive effort by the Fords, especially in the second half. Leah Hammerschlag (4-5) made 12 saves to earn her fourth win of the season.
Stephanie Umbach and Alex Bellini both scored two goals for the Mules while Tiffany Kreider took the loss in goal.
Looking to continue its winning ways, Haverford hosts Dickinson College on Saturday for a Centennial contest starting at noon.
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