Photo by Jayden Brown
By Ashley Nace
The River Hawks fell 3-0 to Haverford in their sixth game of the season Wednesday at Sassafras Field.
Coming off a loss to Washington College, the River Hawks (1-5) were eager for a win.
“These close games just make us hunger for more and to prove to everyone that we can compete against hard teams,” said Kylie Schmidt, a goalie for Susquehanna.
The first shot of the game came for the Fords (2-4) around the four-minute mark, but it was blocked by the River Hawks.
As the first quarter neared the end, Haverford came back again for another shot, that was saved by Susquehanna’s starting goalie Taytum Lombardi with just over five minutes of play remaining.
The Fords put the first one away with 4:38 on the clock. After their goal, Haverford got on a roll, pummeling the River Hawks’ defense with six shots and earning two penalty corners.
Entering the second quarter, Lombardi made three more saves to end the quarter and keep the score 1-0. The second quarter posed a larger challenge for both teams as they struggled to find the net. The River Hawks proved they weren’t backing down, coming out with more effort.
“We work hard for ourselves, our teammates, coaches and the love of the game,” Schmidt said.
The Fords generated one shot and two penalty corners sporadically throughout the quarter. The River Hawks did not see the Ford’s goal line.
With seconds left on the clock, Haverford found the back of the net once more, sending the game into the halftime 2-0.
Schmidt entered the game in goal for Susquehanna for the second half.
The third quarter started similarly to the rest, with Haverford posting the first offensive chances, but Susquehanna came back eight minutes into the quarter with a penalty corner by Jada Thompson.
“It’s hard to come back from a goal being scored, but our team is good at remaining calm and playing hard,” Schmidt said.
Thompson had another corner a minute later, followed by a shot for the River Hawks from Taylor Rothermel. Though Haverford accumulated three shots in the last five minutes of the quarter, they scored none.
The Fords didn’t waste much time jumping into the fourth quarter. A shot in the first two minutes of play kickstarted their momentum.
After two corners, the Fords found the goal for the last time in the game, putting a three on the board and collecting the win.
Little chances were generated for the rest of the match for either team. The Fords outshot the River Hawks 18-1. Lombardi and Schmidt combined for a total of seven saves in net to Haverford’s one.
The game was very physical, with Haverford posting an incredible 61 fouls. Susquehanna committed 37. But the River Hawks haven’t lost all courage.
“We play tough teams to prepare us for our tough battles in conference,” Schmidt said.
The team will travel to New York this weekend for a matchup against the University of Scranton on Saturday, Sept 19 at 2:00 p.m.