HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College women's soccer team (1-0-1) battled Arcadia (1-0-1) to a scoreless draw Friday evening at Walton Field, as goalkeeper Allie Billups made five saves to help the Fords remain unbeaten through their first two matches of the 2026 season.
Haverford wasted little time pushing forward, earning a corner kick from Emma Kirk just 31 seconds into the contest before Carly Rusak sent a header wide of the net. Arcadia answered with pressure of its own, generating several early corners and attempts, but the Haverford defense prevented the Knights from putting a shot on goal until the 22nd minute. Billups handled that effort from Miley Barrett to keep the contest scoreless.
The Fords began to create more sustained opportunities as the opening half progressed. Back-to-back corners from Kirk led to a Rusak header in the 28th minute that Arcadia goalkeeper Olivia Petty turned away. Sofia Terry followed with a blocked attempt before Devyn Telleen and Molly Morris each tested Petty later in the half. Telleen had another opportunity off a Caroline Flynn corner in the 44th minute, but her header was blocked as the teams went into halftime scoreless.
Arcadia opened the second half with its most dangerous stretch of the evening. Billups made saves on Sadie Nugent in the 52nd minute and Mia Casey in the 54th before denying another Nugent header in the 58th. The senior goalkeeper later stopped Olivia Gehman in the 66th minute, giving her four saves in the opening 21 minutes of the second half and preserving the scoreless deadlock.
Haverford responded by generating sustained pressure down the stretch. Sophia Mitchell had an attempt blocked in the 76th minute before Clare Hawley pounced on the rebound and ripped a sliding shot that was denied by Arcadia keeper Chelsea Coburn. Hawley followed with two more attempts, while Telleen continued to threaten the Arcadia back line. The Fords earned four corner kicks over the final 22 minutes, including one from Alejandra Diaz in the 89th minute that set up the final attacking sequence of the night. After the ball pinballed around the box, Telleen unleashed a left-footed one timer that curved just wide of the post with only 45 seconds remaining.
The two sides finished even with 12 shots apiece, with Arcadia holding a narrow 5-4 edge in shots on goal. Telleen led Haverford with four attempts, while Hawley registered three and Rusak added two. The Fords generated six of their 12 shots in each half and earned 10 corner kicks on the evening.
Billups anchored the Haverford defense with five saves over the full 90 minutes to record her first solo shutout of the 2026 campaign. The Fords have yet to concede a goal through their first two contests, following a 7-0 season-opening victory over Penn State Abington earlier in the week.
Haverford returns to Walton Field on Wednesday, September 9, welcoming Penn State Berks for a 5 p.m. kickoff.
