HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College field hockey team (3-0) earned a dominant 3-1 upset victory over No. 12 SUNY Cortland (1-2) on Saturday morning at Swan Field. The Fords broke open a 1-1 tie in the third quarter with two unanswered goals to seize control. With the win, Haverford is off to its best start since 2021, when the Fords opened the season with eight straight victories.
The opening quarter ended scoreless as both teams traded early chances. Cortland's Ava Passante generated pressure with penalty corners at the 3:00 and 5:35 marks, but the Haverford defense held strong. Holly Vincent and Alice Stein each tested Cortland goalkeeper Emma Morgan, who also denied Erica Pardón at 8:03. Despite multiple penalty corners on both sides, neither team broke through in the first 15 minutes.
Cortland struck first in the second quarter after earning a penalty stroke just 90 seconds in. Adrienne Mayes converted at 16:35 to give the Red Dragons a 1-0 advantage. Haverford responded in the 23rd minute, when Vincent weaved down the sideline and slotted home an unassisted equalizer to tie the game at 1-1. Both teams created further looks before halftime, but the defenses held firm to keep the score even.
The Fords took control in the third quarter. Pardón buried a feed from Vincent at 30:33 to give Haverford its first lead, her fourth goal of the season. Just six minutes later, Louisa Coughlin added insurance with a lofted finish over Morgan, assisted by Kendall Fleet, pushing the advantage to 3-1. Cortland tried to answer, but Fords' goalkeeper Steph Ionescu turned away a dangerous attempt from Tori Peterson at 39:37, while the defense blocked another chance in the 44th minute.
The fourth quarter saw Haverford maintain its advantage with strong defensive organization. Lily Gover had a chance to add to the lead in the 48th minute, but her high attempt sailed off target. Cortland introduced goalkeeper Sofia Cannistraci, who made key stops on Stein and Vincent in the 53rd minute to keep the deficit at two. The Red Dragons pressed late, with shots from Passante and Mayes around the 55th minute, but Ionescu and the Fords' backline held firm to seal the 3-1 win.
Pardón led the way with the game-winning goal, recording five shots with three on target. Vincent added a goal and an assist while putting four of her six attempts on frame. Coughlin tallied once on her lone shot, while Ionescu finished with four saves in 60 minutes of work.
For Cortland, Mayes scored off her penalty stroke and fired three total shots. Morgan made eight saves in 45:41 of action, while Cannistraci added two stops in relief.
The Fords continue their non-conference slate on Wednesday, September 10, traveling to Ewing, N.J., to take on No. 23 TCNJ at 4:30 p.m.
