HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's soccer team (3-1) picked up a 3-0 shutout victory over the Widener Pride (1-3) on Walton Field Wednesday afternoon, pouring in three goals in the second half to secure a midweek shutout.
In just the fourth minute the Fords began to heavily pressure the backline of the Pride, as Keira Prince ripped a shot that was saved by Widener's Nicole Rende. The ball bounced back out to Prince who fired away a rebound attempt that was eventually snatched up by Rende, keeping the game knotted at 0-0.
Widener answered right back with an attack of their own in the seventh minute, as Tatum Stielow poked a shot past Haverford's Lily Buyer, however a sprinting Abigail Baker was able to clear the ball off the line, preventing the dangerous attempt by the visitors.
The Scarlet and Black kept up the offensive momentum in the 18th minute, when a corner kick found the head of Sarah Klink who headed the ball off the crossbar, coming within inches of finding the back of the net.
Despite several more chances from the hosts, both teams headed into the halftime break even at 0-0. After 45 minutes, the Fords found themselves holding a significant 13-3 advantage in shots over the Pride.
Haverford opened up the second half with a bang, scoring in the 51st minute to take a 1-0 lead. Following a Scarlet and Black set piece, the ball pinballed around the box, as a deflected ball off a Widener defender rolled towards Grace Haskell in the box. The senior chased the ball down, turned and fired a curler towards the back post, beating Rende to give the Fords a 1-0 lead.
Haverford followed up the opening goal just five minutes later in the 56th minute, as Prince scored her first goal of the season. A failed clearance from a Pride defender bounced towards Prince, who rifled a shot past Rende, extending the Fords' lead to 2-0.
The hosts continued dialing up the pressure until a third goal in the 71st minute put the game away. A pass from Klink to Phoebe Garfield raised some concerns in the Widener box, as Garfield then swam past a defender and laid a pass off to Molly Morris who buried a shot into the back netting, pushing the Scarlet and Black lead to 3-0 with the sophomore's first career goal.
A few menacing efforts from the Pride in the final minutes were turned away by Buyer, cementing the 3-0 victory for Haverford. Buyer's three-save day earned the keeper and the Fords the second shutout of the season. Haverford ended the contest outshooting Widener 27-6.
Following the momentous Wednesday afternoon win, the Fords will travel to Reading, Pa. on Saturday, September 14, to take on the Golden Wolves at 7 p.m.
