HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's lacrosse team (9-7, 3-5 CC) earned a landmark 12-11 road victory over Swarthmore College (10-7, 4-4 CC) on Saturday at Clothier Field, marking the program's first win over the Garnet since 2018. The result also secured a key Hood Trophy point as Haverford moves ahead in the 2025-26 all-sports rivalry series, 8.5 to 7.5, with two events remaining in men's and women's track and field.
In a game defined by runs and response, neither team led by more than two goals through the first three quarters as the contest entered the fourth tied 8-8. Haverford then seized control early in the final period, building a 12-9 advantage before withstanding a late Swarthmore push to secure the one-goal win. The Fords were steady at the faceoff X and on the ground, winning 15 faceoffs and collecting 29 ground balls, while also managing a high-volume Swarthmore offense that generated 40 shots.
Haverford's possession efficiency proved decisive during a fourth quarter that swung the game in its favor before a late Garnet surge tightened the margin. Reid Tietjen led the offensive effort with five points on three goals and two assists, while Philip Passalaqua totaled a goal and three assists, orchestrating much of the Fords' attack. Nick Snyder added two goals on four shots on goal, including a key extra-man finish in the fourth quarter. Ethan Waugh contributed a goal and an assist, with his score helping push Haverford's lead to 12-9. Turner Elliott also chipped in three goals in the balanced scoring effort.
Swarthmore was paced by Nolan Ohrman, who recorded three goals and an assist on perfect shooting, while Rex Mabbs added two goals and one assist. Jack McHenry won 12 of 26 faceoffs and added five ground balls, helping the Garnet stay within striking distance throughout the second half.
Haverford opened the scoring with unassisted goals from Elliott and Passalaqua to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Swarthmore answered with three consecutive goals from Nolan Ohrman, Dylan Ah Now, and Rex Mabbs to pull ahead, but Tietjen scored with 10 seconds left in the first period to tie the game 3-3.
The second quarter saw the teams continue to trade momentum as Ronan Butler briefly gave the Garnet a 4-3 lead before the Fords responded with a three-goal surge. Goals from Ronan West, Elliott, and Nick Snyder pushed Haverford ahead 6-4, but Swarthmore erased the deficit in the final minute of the half.
Ohrman scored with 56 seconds remaining, followed by a Clay Almgren goal with just three seconds left to knot the score 6-6 at the break. Swarthmore took its final lead of the afternoon early in the third quarter on an Owen Hoffman goal assisted by Owen George.
Haverford regained control as Charlie Vaccaro and Tietjen netted back-to-back goals to make it 8-7. While Ben Zabierek leveled the score at 8-8 heading into the fourth, the Fords dominated the start of the final frame.
Snyder and Elliott scored within the first seven minutes of the period to establish a 10-8 cushion. Ohrman brought the Garnet within one, but Tietjen and Ethan Waugh responded with consecutive goals to fire up the Haverford supporters gathered at Clothier, giving Haverford its largest lead, 12-9, with 4:07 remaining.
The hosts mounted a late rally in the closing minutes as George scored at the 1:19 mark and Mabbs added another with nine seconds left to play. However, the Fords secured the victory when Kolin Brandeis won the final faceoff and collected the ground ball to exhaust the clock on the 12-11 win, tossing the ball into the air in celebration as the Fords completed the triumph.
Senior Reid Tietjen entered the regular-season finale seeking to cement his legacy in the program record books, having already secured a tie for 16th all-time with 51 career games started. With a standout five-point performance against Swarthmore, Tietjen increased his career totals to 192 points and 114 goals, ranking him sixth and ninth all-time in program history, respectively. His season total of 68 points also moved him into 11th place for most points in a single season.
Haverford concludes another memorable season as the program continues to make strong strides, finishing at 9-7 overall for the second consecutive campaign. The Fords added three Centennial Conference triumphs, and were edged by just one goal in two other matchups with CC foes.
