HAVERFORD, Pa. – A 6-1 run in the second quarter proved to be the difference as the Ursinus women's lacrosse team fell, 17-7, on the road at Haverford College in their Centennial Conference opener on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the loss, Ursinus drops to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in Centennial Conference play. Meanwhile, the Fords improve to 6-3 overall and 1-0 in conference action.
 
Senior Ashley Noto and junior Jaime Michaud paced the Bears' offense with two goals apiece, while junior Dana DeSiato totaled two points on a goal and an assist. Senior defender Abby Burkholder recorded a team-high four caused turnovers and five ground balls. Michaud also led Ursinus in the draw circle with a team-best four draw controls.
 
Both defenses kept the opposition off-balance early in the first quarter until a goal by Michaud gave Ursinus the lead with 7:40 remaining. On the play, Michaud received a pass just outside the circle, juked past her defender and fired an off-balance shot past the Haverford goalkeeper to open the scoring. The Fords responded quickly with a pair of goals over the next two minutes to take a 2-1 lead with 5:49 to play. Ursinus answered late in the quarter as junior Meghan Vizian assisted on Michaud's second goal to tie the game at 2-2.
 
Haverford seized momentum to start the second quarter, scoring four straight goals over the first five minutes to build a 6-2 advantage at the 10:47 mark. The run was fueled by a pair of Ursinus turnovers and two draw controls. Following a Bears timeout, the Fords added two more goals to extend the lead to 8-2 before junior Whitney Hershey found the back of the net with 8:37 remaining in the half. DeSiato connected with Hershey cutting toward the crease, and Hershey converted for a woman-down goal to trim the deficit to 8-3. Ursinus forced three turnovers over the remainder of the quarter and entered halftime trailing by five.
 
Haverford opened the second half scoring at the 13:39 mark before sophomore Devin Buggy netted her first goal with 13:13 remaining to cut the deficit to 9-4. The Fords responded with a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 13-4 before Noto converted a free-position attempt with 1:05 left in the third quarter, sending Ursinus into the final period trailing 13-5. Haverford carried the momentum into the fourth, scoring four straight goals before Noto and DeSiato added late tallies to account for the 17-7 final.
 
First-year goalkeeper Addi Guthrie-Pimpinella suffered the loss, making five saves in 45 minutes of action. Haverford's Shaina Lewis earned the win with five saves in 54 minutes. The Fords held a 31-22 edge in shots, including a 23-9 advantage in shots on goal, and a 14-12 margin in draw controls. Haverford converted 18 of 19 clear attempts (94.7%), while Ursinus finished 17-for-22 (77.2%). Haverford's Bella Gattuso led all players with five goals.
 
Ursinus returns to action on Wednesday, March 25, hosting Widener University in its Morgan's Message Dedication Game at 7 p.m.