(Haverford, Pa.) – The Dickinson field hockey team traveled to Haverford College for the Centennial Conference opener on Saturday. The host 'Fords struck quickly and used an explosive offensive attack to post a 5-1 win.

Haverford capitalized on the home field advantage, jumping out to a quick start, scoring a pair of goals in the opening 10 minutes. Sarah Waldis broke free in the circle to finish an assist from Paige Carson, with just 4:03 off the clock.

The Red Devils built a strong attack but the 'Fords gained possession and countered with their second goal of the game as Elena Veale put a shot inside the back post on a well-placed cross from Waldis. That came with just under 25 minutes to play in the first half, forcing a Red Devils timeout.

Sophomore Amber Dey (Flemington, N.J./South Hunterdon) answered to give Dickinson a strong chance, firing a shot just wide of the cage.

Haverford kept the offensive pressure on, finding the net for the third time after an initial save by sophomore goaltender Freddie Bancroft (Old Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich). Bancroft came out strong to turn away a one-on-one from Carson, but Paige Powell was there to finish at the 17 minute mark.

The Devils forced a penalty corner and generated another strong shot, but were again just wide of the post. Haverford countered again, but Bancroft came up big, stopping a barrage of three straight shots.

Dickinson put a goal on the board with 3:45 remaining in the half. Junior Merritt Davis (Baltimore, Md./Garrison Forest) ripped a shot into the cage on a penalty corner, assisted by Dey and senior Caroline Karwel (Fairfax Station, Va./South County Secondary).

Davis and Karwel followed up with shots as the Red Devils began to gain some momentum, but Lindsey Lopes came up with a pair of saves to keep the score, 3-1, at the break.

Bancroft came up with another big save off the stick of Waldis, early in the second half. The 'Fords would tally, however, moments later, to stretch the margin to 4-1, with 26 minutes remaining in the game.

Catherine Perlmutter (Blue Bell, Pa./Germantown Academy) had a good look at the top of the circle, but Lopes made a big kick save to stop the shot.

Haverford struck again with just over 18 minutes to play, extending the lead to 5-1 as Mason McNulty collected a rebound and closed out the scoring with a shot into the corner.

Haverford improves to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the Centennial Conference. Lopes finished with seven saves as Dickinson overcame a 10-5 shot deficit in the first half, with a 10-5 edge in the second.

Bancroft finished with eight saves in goal for the Dickinson. The Red Devils suffer their first setback of the season, slipping to 4-1 overall. They travel to Gettysburg College on Tuesday afternoon for a 4:00 pm start.