HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College women's soccer team (2-1-1) suffered its first setback of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, falling to Scranton (2-1-1) by a narrow 1-0 final at Walton Field. The Royals' Peyton DiLello broke a scoreless deadlock less than two minutes into the second half, while the Fords were unable to find an equalizer over the remaining 43 minutes.
Scranton tested Haverford goalkeeper Allie Billups twice in the opening six minutes, with Billups turning away attempts from Lena Madjor and Faith Sullivan to keep the contest scoreless. Haverford settled into the match from there, with Clare Hawley registering the Fords' first attempt in the 11th minute.
Billups was called upon again midway through the opening half, denying Elise Nicholas in the 22nd minute. Haverford produced its best opportunity of the period at 26:58, when Sophia Mitchell put an attempt on frame, but Scranton goalkeeper Makenzi Van Arsdale made the save.
The Royals continued to apply pressure late in the half, earning three corner kicks over the final 16 minutes. Billups made another stop on Nicholas in the 32nd minute as the Haverford defense held firm, sending the teams into halftime locked in a scoreless tie. The junior goalkeeper finished the opening 45 minutes with four saves.
Scranton found the game's lone breakthrough almost immediately after the restart. At 46:49, Madjor set up DiLello with a perfectly-placed through ball, as DiLello broke through the Haverford back line and converted for her first goal of the season and a 1-0 Royals advantage.
The goal marked the first allowed by Haverford this season after the Fords opened the campaign with three consecutive shutouts. Haverford had gone 316 minutes and 49 seconds without conceding a goal to begin the 2026 campaign.
Scranton looked to add to its advantage in the ensuing minutes, with DiLello sending an attempt wide before having another blocked. The Royals also earned three corner kicks during the opening 14 minutes of the second half, but the Haverford defense kept the deficit at one.
Haverford pushed numbers forward in search of an equalizer, utilizing a series of substitutions to bring fresh legs into the attack. The Fords continued to battle through the midfield and looked for a way through a compact Scranton defensive unit, but the Royals limited Haverford's opportunities in the final third and did not concede a shot over the final 45 minutes.
Billups finished with four saves across the full 90 minutes, while Van Arsdale made one stop to earn the shutout for Scranton. The Royals finished with an 11-2 advantage in shots, including a 5-1 edge in attempts on goal, and earned all six corner kicks in the contest.
The Fords next return to action Wednesday, September 16, welcoming DeSales to Walton Field.
