LANCASTER, Pa. - The Haverford College men's soccer team (0-5-3, 0-1-0 CC) fell to Franklin & Marshall (3-0-4, 1-0-0 CC) by a 3-0 final in the Centennial Conference opener at Tylus Field on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College.
Thomas Kaplan got things started right away for F&M, as a shot in just the third minute went on frame, but first-year goalkeeper Jackson Simon denied the opportunity.
In the 19th minute, the Fords found themselves with a prime opportunity to take the lead, as Oscar Guardo found the ball at his feet inside the Franklin & Marshall box. Guardo wound up and struck through a ball that just went inches above the crossbar, keeping the game at 0-0.
Following a hard challenge from Haverford's Juan Rivera in the box, the Diplomats were awarded a penalty kick in the 25th minute. Oscar Horwitz buried the penalty kick past Simon, to score his 30th career-goal for Franklin & Marshall.
After the first 45 minutes of play, the Diplomats doubled the Scarlet and Black's shots 10-5, while the hosts also held the advantage in corner kicks 6-1.
The second half started off with a bang. On the opening kickoff, Koa Kaliebe rifled a shot from midfield that was pushed over the crossbar by Simon, turning away the quick chance.
In the 49th minute, F&M struck again, this time off their eighth corner kick of the game. A swerving ball was launched into the box by Adam Green that eventually trickled down to the far post. Horwitz was in the right place at the right time, as the junior deflected in his second goal of the game, extending the host's lead to 2-0.
A bit of a bizarre scene occurred in the 77th minute, as the Diplomats yet again went on the attack. From the top of the box, F&M's Nathan Schlessinger poked a ball into the box looking for a teammate, but Simon came off his line and slipped on the turf as the ball rolled past him into the net, giving the Diplomats their third goal of the contest.
The defense of Franklin & Marshall was able to contain the attack of Haverford for the remaining 13 minutes, as the Diplomats ended up the victors of a 3-0 match.
After 90 minutes of play F&M outshot the Fords 18-14, with six of the 14 shots for the Scarlet and Black coming from Thomas Vanni.
The match with the Diplomats concludes a three-game road trip for the Scarlet and Black, as the Fords will now return to historic Walton Field on Tuesday, September 24, to take on the Centenary (N.J.) Cyclones at 4 p.m.
