HAVERFORD, Pa. — The No. 23 and top-seeded Haverford College women's lacrosse team (13-6) fell to No. 20, second-seeded Franklin & Marshall (10-8), 7–5, in the Centennial Conference Championship on Sunday afternoon at Swan Field. For the Fords, the appearance marked the first conference championship game in program history, while the Diplomats secured their fourth consecutive Centennial Conference title. With the teams tied 4-4 entering the final quarter, a 3-0 run by F&M over the opening five minutes proved decisive.
Brooke Epstein led Haverford with three goals on five shots, including a free-position tally, while adding two draw controls. With those three points, Epstein moved within two of Lindsey Carey Bean '00's program record of 284 career points. Mikelle Smith added a goal on a free-position attempt and collected three ground balls, while Kylie McNamara also found the back of the cage. Defensively, Kiri Jensen recorded a career-high four ground balls, and four different players caused two turnovers apiece for the Scarlet and Black. In goal, rookie Shaina Lewis made seven saves on 14 shots faced.
For Franklin & Marshall, Sophie Harris delivered an efficient performance with four goals on five shots, all on target. Annie Marshall dished out three assists, while Devyn Crone totaled three points on two goals and one assist. Belle Dintino anchored the defense with four ground balls and three caused turnovers, earning Centennial Conference Tournament MVP honors, while Sydney Birchard added four ground balls and a game-high four caused turnovers. In the cage, Sara DiGiovanni made eight saves on 13 shots and picked up four ground balls.
The opening quarter featured strong defensive play from both sides, as Haverford and the Diplomats traded early stops. F&M broke through at 10:48 on a free-position goal from Rose Dunne. After several empty possessions, the Diplomats doubled their lead late in the period when Harris converted a player-up opportunity off a feed from Crone, giving Franklin & Marshall a 2-0 edge heading into the second.
The Fords responded in the second quarter behind Epstein, who accounted for all three Haverford goals in the frame. Bella Gattuso set up Epstein at 11:06 to cut the deficit to one before Epstein added an unassisted tally at 8:36 to even the score. Crone briefly put F&M back in front at 6:49, but Epstein answered again with a free-position goal at 2:47, sending the teams into halftime tied 3-3.
Out of the break, Franklin & Marshall regained the lead as Harris scored at 12:38 of the third quarter off an assist from Lauren Pittman. The Scarlet and Black answered at 9:39 with Smith converting a free-position attempt to knot the game at 4-4. Both defenses held firm the rest of the quarter, with Lewis and DiGiovanni each making key saves to maintain the tie heading into the final period.
The Diplomats seized control early in the fourth. Harris scored just 15 seconds into the quarter, then added another player-up goal at 12:25 to stretch the lead to 6-4. Crone followed with a goal at 10:22, giving Franklin & Marshall its largest advantage at 7-4. Haverford pulled one back at 3:35 as McNamara finished a feed from Daniela Martini, but F&M controlled possession down the stretch to secure the title.
After a narrow championship game loss to the Diplomats, Haverford now shifts its attention to a potential NCAA Tournament berth. The Fords entered Sunday ranked No. 24 in the NCAA Power Index (NPI), with 17 at-large bids available. Haverford climbed as high as No. 18 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll earlier this season and owns 13 wins, including ranked victories over No. 16 Messiah and No. 19 Franklin & Marshall—the program's first win over the Diplomats in 26 years. The Scarlet and Black now await the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Selection Show, aiming to secure an at-large bid for the third straight season.The selection show will air live on NCAA.com on Monday, May 4, at 10:30 a.m.
