Championship Central
Dickinson and Haverford came away victorious in the opening round of the Centennial Conference Field Hockey Championship on Tuesday. Third-seeded Dickinson edged sixth-seeded Ursinus 2-1 while fifth-seeded Haverford upended fourth-seeded Swarthmore 2-0.
In Carlisle, Pa., Erin Liggio scored the game-winner early in the fourth quarter to lift the Red Devils (17-2) past visiting Ursinus (9-9) in a late afternoon CC first round contest. Dickinson's Nicole Uebele and Ursinus' Ava Mikulski exchanged goals within the first ten minutes of action at the Biddle Field Complex, with the two scores coming less than a minute apart. The score remained knotted at 1-1 until Liggio found the back of the cage off a feed from Sophia Pereira in the 48th minute for the eventual game-winner.
With the win, Dickinson now heads to Lancaster to take on second-seeded Franklin & Marshall in Thursday's semifinals at 7 p.m.
In Swarthmore, Pa., 19th-ranked Haverford (14-5) secured a decisive 2-0 victory over Swarthmore (10-9) on the road in the Centennial Conference first round game at Clothier Field, advancing the Fords to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2017.
The Fords' performance was highlighted by timely offense and the sixth shutout of the season from goalkeeper Steph Ionescu. Alice Stein paced the Fords attack with a goal and an assist. Erica Pardon scored the game's opening goal and Louisa Coughlin assisted on Stein's tally.
Haverford now turns its attention to a trip to top-seeded and second–ranked Johns Hopkins in Thursday's Centennial Conference semifinals. First pass between the Fords and Blue Jays is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Homewood Field in Baltimore. Haverford is seeking its first championship game appearance since 2012.
FIRST ROUND: Tuesday, Nov. 4 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#3 Dickinson d. #6 Ursinus, 2-1 | Box Score
#5 Haverford d. #4 Swarthmore, 2-0 | Box Score
SEMIFINALS: Thursday, Nov. 6 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#3 Dickinson at #2 Franklin & Marshall, 7 p.m. | BUY TICKETS
#5 Haverford at #1 Johns Hopkins, 5 p.m. | BUY TICKETS
CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, Nov. 8 | at highest remaining seed
Semifinal winners, time TBA
