HAVERFORD, Pa. – Sophomore Connor O'Donnell (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock High School North) scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute as fifth-seeded Gettysburg College defeated fourth-seeded and reigning Centennial Conference Champions Haverford College 1-0 Wednesday afternoon in the opening round match of the CC playoffs at Walton Field.
 
Final Result

Teams	1	2	F
Gettysburg (11-6-1)	0	1	1
Haverford (9-6-3)	0	0	0

 
Top Performers – Gettysburg
- Connor O'Donnell '22 – Goal
- Oladayo Thomas '22 (Lagos, Nigeria/The Masters [N.Y]) – Assist
- Thomas Keane '20 (Potomac, Md./Gonzaga College) – 5 Saves
 
Top Performers – Haverford
- Nick Jannelli – 4 Shots
- Michael Iacono – 7 Saves
 
How It Happened…

• First Half: Playing in a competitive first round of the conference tournament, the Bullets went to the goal two minutes in as sophomore Jack Carroll (Leonia, N.J./Bergen Catholic) took the first attempt at the cage, but his shot sailed high and wide. Gettysburg continued to put the offensive pressure on early as Thomas then blasted back-to-back attempts on goal in the 9th and 12th minute, but Iacono turned aside each one. The Bullets went to work on the defensive end as Keane made back-to-back stops, including an outstanding diving save off a Matthieu Maciejewski header 14 minutes later and stopped another off the reigning CC Player of the Year Jannelli. With under three minutes to go in the period, defender Matthew McCann (Potomac, Md./Gonzaga College) made the stellar defensive save to keep the Ford off the scoreboard.
• Second Half: Gettysburg and Haverford continued to battle it out as both teams saw numerous chances to take the lead throughout the final period. One of the better attempts the Bullets saw at the goal was at the 60th minute when Thomas had an excellent look on the right side of the field, but a Haverford defender stepped in to block the shot. Gettysburg netted the eventual game-winner at the 80th minute as McCann threw in the ball to Thomas as he took a few dribbles and passed to O'Donnell, who rocketed a perfect shot into the upper 90 for his second career goal.  

By the Numbers

• Haverford out-shot Gettysburg 17-13 and held the 10-5 advantage in corner kicks.
• For the second time in three seasons, the Bullets' have played in the semifinals.

Centennial Conference Playoffs

• The Bullets now move on to the Centennial Conference semifinals and will face top-seeded and fourth-ranked Franklin & Marshall College at 12 p.m. on Saturday. The winner of that game will advance to Sunday's conference championship match to play the winner of the other semifinal between third-seeded Dickinson and second-seeded Johns Hopkins. Franklin & Marshall will serve as the host site for both the semifinal and championship rounds. The Centennial Conference champion receives an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III Championship tournament.

In the Rankings

• In the third release of the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional ranking, Haverford was No. 5 and Gettysburg was No. 6.

Where the Series Stands Now
Haverford leads Gettysburg 21-8-1 in the all-time series that dates back to 1984. The Bullets last defeated the Fords in 2017 at home when Haverford was then-ranked No. 23 by the final score of 4-1. The last time the Bullets defeated the Fords at Walton Field was back in 2012 by the final score of 2-1. Gettysburg and Haverford battled to its first-ever double-overtime earlier this season.

Quote from the Coach
"It was a great win," said head coach Mark Mettrick. "I am proud of our guys."

Next Up
The Bullets will face top-seeded Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday in Lancaster, Pa. at noon.