GETTYSBURG, Pa. — The No. 23 Haverford College women's lacrosse team (8-5, 3-1 CC) dropped a 12–10 decision to No. 11 Gettysburg (7-5, 3-1 CC) on Saturday afternoon in a tightly contested Centennial Conference matchup at Clark Field. The Fords tallied four player-up goals and used a four-goal second quarter to battle back, but Gettysburg closed with five goals in the fourth to secure the win.
Brooke Epstein led the Scarlet and Black with two goals and two assists while adding a team-high three draw controls. Bella Gattuso finished with three goals on six shots, all on target, while Mikelle Smith added two player-up goals on two shots. Kalli Mullen also scored twice on perfect shooting, as Finley Jordan recorded two caused turnovers and Lilly Provost collected three ground balls. Shaina Lewis made six saves in goal for Haverford.
Gettysburg opened the scoring at 14:09 of the first quarter as Julia Daly made it 1–0. The Bullets doubled their advantage to 2–0 before Gattuso got Haverford on the board at 7:28 off an Epstein assist to cut the deficit to 2–1. Smith then converted a player-up opportunity at 2:17 to even the score at 2–2 heading into the second quarter.
The Bullets struck early in the second, scoring twice in quick succession—including a player-up tally from Maddie Passarello—to take a 4–2 lead before extending it to 5–2. Mullen responded to make it 5–3, and after another Gettysburg goal pushed the margin to 6–3, Gattuso answered on a player-up chance to trim the deficit to 6–4. Epstein then scored twice, once off a Sophie Jaffe assist and once on a free-position attempt, tying the game at 6–6 heading into halftime.
Haverford seized momentum in the third quarter as Gattuso opened the scoring off a Jaffe assist to give the Fords a 7–6 lead. Gettysburg answered with a player-up goal from Passarello to tie the game at 7–7, but Smith responded with another player-up tally to put Haverford back in front, 8–7. The Scarlet and Black extended the lead to 9–7 as Epstein found Daniela Martini for a key goal, and strong defensive play, backed by Lewis in goal, held that margin through the end of the quarter.
Gettysburg surged in the fourth, beginning with a Daly free-position goal to make it 9–8 before tying the game at 9–9. The Bullets then took the lead at 10–9 and extended it to 11–9 with consecutive tallies. Mullen briefly halted the run, finishing a Martini assist to cut the deficit to 11–10, but Gettysburg added one final goal to push the score to 12–10. Despite late opportunities, Haverford was unable to find the equalizer in the closing minutes.
Haverford returns to action on Wednesday, April 15, traveling to No. 24 Muhlenberg for a 4 p.m. opening draw.
