EWING, N.J. — Haverford's perfect start ended Wednesday afternoon against a nationally ranked opponent that has made a habit of denying goals. No. 19 The College of New Jersey handed the Fords their first loss of the season, 3-0, while recording its third shutout in four games.
Haverford (3-1) generated chances early and often but ran into a disciplined Lions defense backstopped by goalkeeper Brigitte Racey. The junior made six saves, turning away each of the Fords' six shots on target.
The opening quarter showed Haverford's intent. Goalkeeper
Steph Ionescu stood tall at the other end, keeping out early looks by Jadyn Huff and Mackenzie Hart. But the Lions broke through in the sixth minute when Kara Wilson buried a shot after some sustained pressure. The Fords responded with a penalty corner at 12:15, with
Louisa Coughlin testing Racey, who kept it 1-0 after one.
In the second, midfielder
Abigail Trapp drove Haverford forward, drawing back-to-back corners. Racey denied
Lily Gover on the first and defenders smothered a
Holly Vincent attempt on the second. Despite three Hart shots for TCNJ in the period, Ionescu's sharp positioning kept the game well within reach at halftime.
The Fords nearly leveled in the third when
Erica Pardón unleashed two consecutive attempts in the 32nd minute, both stopped by Racey in quick succession. The Lions made the most of their next corner, however, as Hart scored at 44:37 with an assist from Julia Neff to stretch the lead to 2-0.
Haverford pressed again in the fourth behind Trapp, earning another penalty corner that produced dangerous shots from Vincent and Coughlin, both handled by Racey. But a late TCNJ corner turned into the dagger: Huff redirected a feed from Prisha Dhruve in the 57th minute to close the scoring.
Ionescu finished with nine saves on 12 shots faced in a full 60-minute effort, a steadying presence that kept the Lions from running away with the game. Coughlin tallied two of Haverford's six shots on goal, while Pardon and Vincent each added attempts that forced stops from Racey.
For TCNJ (4-0), the victory marked the team's third clean sheet in four games to open the season. Hart led the attack with 10 shots, eight on goal, while Huff and Wilson joined her on the scoresheet.
Haverford will look to regroup quickly when it travels to Reading, Pa., for a nonconference matchup at Alvernia on Saturday, September 13 (7 p.m.).
