The Haverford College Men’s Soccer team, a one seed in the NCAA Tournament, has had a legendary season this fall, and has established itself as a serious contender for the national championship. They are currently riding a 15-game winning streak (a program record) with the latest victory coming against Washington & Lee in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32.
This is the Fords’ first trip into the Sweet Sixteen, and first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. The team has racked up a number of accolades and firsts throughout this historic season, including a perfect 11-0 conference record that saw them lift the Centennial Conference Championship on Haverford’s own Walton Field. Junior Will Corkery (celebrating below) was the hero that afternoon, sending a free kick into the back of the net with just 19 seconds remaining for a 1-0 victory over Dickinson College.
The season began with a tough stretch which saw the team sitting at 2-3, with two away losses against ranked opponents. The Fords’ resilience was put on full display, however, with a 1-0 win at Johns Hopkins to open conference play and to start the current 15-game win streak. The team broke into the national polls after a convincing 3-1 victory over then number one, Franklin & Marshall. The latest poll, which was released after winning the Centennial Conference, placed the Fords at number 7 in the country. All of this success led to Haverford being selected as one of the three number-one seeds to get a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament.
The team has been propelled by an outstanding senior class -- Ian Alers, Brady Seitz, Colin Seitz, and Sam Yarosh (pictured above) -- that includes the conference player of the year in Yarosh and three first-team all-Centennial selections. Yarosh leads the conference in goals and points, with 16 goals on the year and a total of 37 points. Brady Seitz has tallied 7 goals and 4 assists, along with stellar 1v1 play to help the Fords’ high-powered offense.
The junior class has also been a major contributor for the Fords’ finely -tuned offense. Will Corkery leads the conference with 12 assists and is third with 9 goals, while Tejan Walcott has found the net 6 times and assisted twice. On the defensive end center back Maclyn Willigan and goalie Sam Miller have teamed up with Colin Seitz and freshman Nick John for 9 shutouts, 6 of which have come during conference play. Willigan was a second-team all-Centennial selection with both Miller and Walcott gaining honorable-mention accolades. Not to be overlooked are the sophomore and freshman classes that have added 12 goals and 15 assists, including freshman Max Krieg’s game-winning effort against Washington & Lee in the NCAA Tournament.
After Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Washington & Lee the Fords are boasting a 17-3 record going into Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen match-up against St. Lawrence University (16-3-2). SLU beat the University of Scranton, whom Haverford defeated in the season opener, to advance into the Sweet Sixteen for an exciting match that will be played on Haverford’s Walton Field Saturday, Nov. 21.
There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the Fords this season, and it is bound to continue through their upcoming games. They are only two wins away from a trip to the Final Four in Kansas City, so they’ll be putting everything on the line in the games to come!
