HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's soccer team (5-2) dropped a non-conference match to the Landmark's Scranton Royals (6-0-1) by a 3-0 final on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Walton Field.
In just the seventh minute of action, the Royals found their first key opportunity of the game, as a shot by Morgan Griffin hit the crossbar. The rebound came falling to the feet of Emily Bannon who ripped a shot on frame, only to be denied by reigning Centennial Conference Defensive player of the Week Lily Buyer.
Scranton continued to pepper the net throughout the first stanza, but Haverford's bend don't break mentality stood tall, as Abigail Baker and the Fords defense stood tall in the first half.
Both teams headed into the break at a 0-0 deadlock, with the Royals outshooting the Scarlet and Black 8-3, as well as, holding a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The Fords were able to withstand the pressure of Scranton for the opening 20 minutes of the second half until Scranton finally broke the tie in the 67th minute. Following a Haverford foul, a free kick from in front of the Royals' bench curled into the box. Libby Masterson headed the ball past Lily Buyer, as it continued bouncing towards the far post. Linda Daly jumped onto the ball and punched it home to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Just a minute later, Scranton goalkeeper Nicole Olsen collected a menacing ball in the box and punted it all the way down the pitch. The ball took a hop past the backline of the Scarlet and Black, as Niamh Healy hit a one-time strike past Buyer to extend the Royals' lead to 2-0, giving Olsen a crafty assist.
The 75th minute saw the third and final goal for Scranton, as Masterson fired a one-timer from the top of the box that was parried away by Buyer before Faith Sullivan pounced on the rebound and slotted one home to put the Royals up 3-0.
The Fords tried valiantly to pull one back, however, headed shots from Lauren Anderson and Sarah Klink both steered away from the frame, as Scranton was able to leave Walton Field with a 3-0 victory.
The Royals put up 18 shots as opposed to Haverford's seven, while the visitors also claimed the upper hand in corner kicks by a 9-3 margin.
Haverford will next open Centennial Conference play on Wednesday, September 25, against the Diplomats of Franklin & Marshall. Kickoff at Walton Field is slated for 4:30 p.m.
