HAVERFORD, Pa. — The No. 25 Haverford College women's lacrosse team (6-4) fell to No. 16 Stevens (5-3) by a 15–9 final on Wednesday afternoon at Swan Field in the program's annual Play With Pride game. Despite a late push from the Fords, a nine-goal second quarter from the Ducks proved to be the difference.
Haverford featured balanced scoring throughout, with five different players finding the back of the net. Brooke Epstein led the Scarlet and Black with two goals and two assists while adding four draw controls. Kylie McNamara paced the offense with three goals, while Bella Gattuso added two scores. Sophie Jaffe contributed a goal and an assist. Defensively, Finley Jordan totaled four ground balls and four caused turnovers, and Shaina Lewis made six saves in goal.
The Scarlet and Black opened the scoring at 9:50 of the first quarter as Epstein converted an unassisted tally. Stevens answered at 4:59 with Abby O'Brien finishing a feed from Eran Gleason. Haverford regained the lead at 3:24 as Jaffe scored off an assist from Epstein, but the visitors responded again with Gracie Shea converting a free-position opportunity at 2:08 to even the score at 2–2 after one.
The second quarter saw Stevens take control. Alison Murray opened the frame with a goal at 12:23, before McNamara answered just 23 seconds later with an unassisted tally to give Haverford a 4–3 edge. The Ducks then surged ahead with four consecutive goals, as Stefanie Sellitto, Alina Friz, and Murray all found the back of the net, followed by a player-up goal from Maddie Hogan to make it 7–4. McNamara briefly halted the run with her second goal to cut the deficit to 7–5, but Stevens closed the half with two late strikes, as Sellitto scored before Friz added a goal with just two seconds remaining, sending the visitors into halftime with an 11–5 lead.
Out of the break, the Ducks continued to build their advantage. Elise Hensley scored at 11:44 off an assist from Kamryn Kramer, and Friz added a free-position goal at 6:57 to extend the lead to 13–5. The Fords generated chances throughout the quarter, but Stevens goalkeeper Kailyn Vautour turned away multiple attempts, keeping Haverford off the board in the third.
In the fourth, Stevens struck first as O'Brien scored at 14:34 on an assist from Friz. Haverford responded at 12:24 with Epstein converting a free-position shot. McNamara completed her hat trick at 9:44, finishing a pass from Mikelle Smith, before Gattuso added a goal at 7:27 off an assist from Daniela Martini to cut the deficit to 14–8. The Scarlet and Black added another at 2:35 when Lauren Sullivan of Stevens inadvertently put the ball into her own net while attempting to scoop a ground ball. However, the Ducks answered at 1:55 as O'Brien scored again off a feed from Friz, sealing the 15–9 result.
Haverford returns to action on Saturday, March 28, traveling to McDaniel for a Centennial Conference matchup. Opening draw is set for noon.
