HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College women's soccer team (3-3-2, 1-1-0 CC) rallied from two goals down to defeat the Ursinus Bears (4-3-1, 0-2-0 CC) 3-2 in a five-goal thriller Wednesday afternoon on Walton Field. The Fords scored all three goals in the second half to secure their first Centennial Conference victory of the season.
Ursinus opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Gwyn Krystkiewicz converted a penalty kick to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage. Despite several key saves in the half from Haverford goalkeeper Lily Buyer, the Bears doubled their lead in the 37th minute as Alicia Page slotted home a goal that was assisted by Krystkiewicz. The Scarlet and Black pushed back with shots from Ali Dorrego and Carly Rusak, but Ursinus goalkeeper Alyssa Marraffino and her defense held firm, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime.
The second half flipped the match in Haverford's favor. Emma Kirk sparked the comeback in the 46th minute, scoring her first of the season in spectacular fashion with an olimpico, curling her corner kick directly under the crossbar to cut the deficit to 2-1. Only two minutes later, Abigale Baker received a pass from Rusak just outside the 18-yard box and lifted a shot over Marraffino for the equalizer.
The decisive strike came in the 60th minute when Kirk delivered a long service into the box that deflected off Clare Hawley before falling to Emma Murray, who buried her first collegiate goal and the eventual game-winner. Despite some late pressure from Ursinus, goalkeeper Allie Billups and the Haverford back line stood tall to preserve the 3-2 victory.
Marraffino finished with five saves on eight shots faced for the Bears. Krystkiewicz contributed both a goal and an assist, while Page added a goal on her lone shot attempt.
For Haverford, Murray delivered the match-winner and recorded two shots on target. Baker scored once on her lone attempt, while Kirk tallied both a goal and an assist in the rally. Rusak added an assist and kept Ursinus under pressure with three shots.
The contest also marked Haverford's annual Play With Pride game, honoring the College's LGBTQ+ community and supporting advocacy in collegiate athletics.
Looking ahead, the Fords return to Walton Field on September 27 for a pivotal Centennial Conference matchup with No. 25 Johns Hopkins. The game will follow the Haverford men's soccer match against the Blue Jays (12 p.m.), with kickoff set for 3 p.m.
