HAVERFORD, Pa. — The No. 19 Haverford College field hockey team (12-5, 6-4 CC) dropped its final Centennial Conference matchup of the season on Wednesday evening, falling 3-0 to Hood Trophy rival Swarthmore (10-7, 7-2 CC) on Swan Field. The Garnet capitalized on their opportunities, finding the back of the cage once in each of the first two quarters and again in the fourth.
Swarthmore wasted little time getting on the board, breaking the deadlock just over three minutes into the contest. Annika Hoyer capitalized on a long through ball from Kayla Fink, slotting a shot past Haverford goalkeeper Steph Ionescu to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at 11:43. Haverford quickly looked to respond, earning a penalty corner in the eighth minute, but Louisa Coughlin's shot was blocked by the Garnet defense. Ionescu made several key saves in the quarter, including stops on Erin Coyle and Liza Semenenko, to keep the Fords within one after 15 minutes.
Swarthmore doubled their advantage early in the second quarter when Hoyer struck again in the 17th minute, this time redirecting a driven pass from Semenenko into the back of the cage. Haverford's defense faced continued pressure, but Ionescu stood tall with stops on both Hoyer and Coyle to limit the damage. Erica Pardón of the Fords tested Garnet goalkeeper Cassandra Conklin with a shot in the 25th minute, but Conklin made the save to preserve Swarthmore's 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
Neither side found the back of the net in a quiet third quarter. Ionescu continued to anchor the Haverford defense, making saves on back-to-back attempts from Sarah Cooper and Hayley Harris. The Fords earned several penalty corners, including a look from Coughlin off a service from Pardón, but the attempt sailed wide.
Swarthmore added an insurance goal early in the fourth quarter when Avery Bloom finished a cross-cage pass from Semenenko at 46:56, lifting a shot over a diving Ionescu for her first goal of the season. Haverford continued to push late, with shots from Pardón, Naomi York, and Lily Gover all denied by Conklin. Despite the late surge, the Fords were unable to find the back of the cage as the Garnet held on for the shutout win.
Ionescu recorded eight saves on 11 shots faced, while Pardón led the Fords with two shots on goal. Coughlin, Gover, and York each added attempts on target, and Coughlin tallied a key defensive save.
For Swarthmore, Hoyer tallied two goals, Semenenko added two assists, and Bloom rounded out the scoring with one goal. Conklin earned the clean sheet with three saves.
With the win, the Garnet secured a vital point in the 2025-2026 Hood Trophy rivalry.
Haverford will conclude the 2025 regular season on Saturday, November 1, hosting Liberty League opponent Ithaca at 2:30 p.m. on Swan Field.
