Game Notes

Last Week

F&M opened Centennial Conference play with a 16-6 win against Haverford inside Shadek Stadium last Saturday. The Diplomats outscored the Fords during each of the first three quarters and eventually built a 15-3 advantage during the fourth before the last whistle of the 16-6 final. Liam Timmins led nine goal scorers for the Diplomats as he rattled the back of the cage four times during the Centennial Conference opener. James Moroney, Christian Sullivan, Colin Hueston, and Will Mollihan all added two goals throughout the victory. 

F&M posted a 56-49 advantage in shots, and won 15 of the 24 faceoffs, while holding a 46-25 advantage in ground balls. Twenty-two different Diplomats recorded at least one ground ball during the contest, with Helm's six GBs pacing those efforts. Helm earned most of his ground balls during his 15 face-off victories in Saturday's contest. Kyle Craig and Garofalo each added two caused turnovers to the team's defensive efforts. Sage Garito picked up the win in goal as he made six saves before Eric Mueller stopped five more shots during the second half of action.

Last Time vs. Dickinson

Playing a matchup of the top two ranked teams in the Centennial Conference, the No. 10 Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team fell by a 13-11 score against ninth-ranked Dickinson during the 2022 season. The Red Devils jumped out to a 6-3 lead after 15 minutes and the Diplomats could not pull back even despite several runs throughout the contest. One highlight for F&M on Wednesday night was Blake Target scoring the 100th goal of his career during the third quarter. His milestone was part of a 6-3 run to close the contest in favor of the hosts.

Franklin & Marshall finished the contest with a 48-40 advantage in shots, but 18 saves from the Red Devils' Chris Brandau were just enough to keep the Diplomats at bay. Sage Garito made 11 saves of his own in the crease. F&M also won the ground ball battle while the Red Devils claimed 16-of-27 face-offs at the X. In addition to his team-leading five points, A.J. Rigsby picked up a team-leading six ground balls. Noah Isaacson and Spencer Hall each caused a pair of turnovers in the Centennial Conference battle.

Last Time vs. Swarthmore

The Diplomats raced out to an 8-3 lead and had held the Garnet scoreless for over 37 minutes before Swarthmore tightened the contest with the final four goals of the afternoon. The Garnet did all of their scoring during the first and fourth quarters while the Diplomats did enough in between those runs to come away with the conference victory. Will DeMuth had another hat trick for the Diplomats and opened the scoring just 54 seconds into play, but the Garnet scored the next three.

Franklin & Marshall held a 40-35 advantage in shots throughout the contest, but 11 saves from Swarthmore's Shane Nachshen, including five during the fourth quarter, prevented the Diplomats from further extending their lead. F&M collected 28 ground balls, with Connor Helm grabbing five. Kyle Craig, Moroney, and Rigsby each collected three ground balls. Craig also tied with Blake Target as both players caused a pair of turnovers.

Dickinson Preview

Wednesday's showdown under the lights will see F&M travel to the No. 14 Red Devils who are 5-3 on the season. Those three losses have come during Dickinson's last three games. The Red Devils did compete at the Mustang Classic, but did share any common opponents with the Diplomats. The only common opponent during the non-conference portion of the schedule was Roanoke who the Red Devils defeated by a 14-13 score. F&M owns a 14-9 win against Roanoke this season. Dickinson's most recent loss came in the conference opener to a Muhlenberg squad that is now receiving votes nationally. James Isaacson and Owen Porter are leading the Red Devils with 14 goals on the season. Dickinson has won nearly 60 percent of its faceoffs, while Chris Brandau has played every minute in goal and is stopping 51.1 percent of the shots he has faced.

Swarthmore Preview

Swarthmore is 6-1 on the year but had the bye the first weekend of conference bye and will begin CC action on Wednesday night against Muhlenberg. The Garnet and Diplomats shared two non-conference opponents in Elizabethtown and Roanoke. Swarthmore defeated both of these teams, while the Diplomats also have a win against Roanoke but suffered an OT defeat on the road against the Blue Jays in the second of back-to-back games. Swarthmore's only defeat entering the week came to Vassar by a 15-7 final. Von Mabbs is the player to watch on attack as he has 27 goals this season through the first seven contests. Swarthmore is 55 percent at the faceoff X and stopping 53.7 percent of its opponent's shots on goal. The Garnet have started two different goalies this season and each has at least three starts between the pipes.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Points
5. Tommy Garofalo - 35
7. Christian Sullivan - 32
10. Will Mollihan - 26

Goals
1. Tommy Garofalo - 30
4. Christian Sullivan - 26

Assists
4. Will Mollihan - 17

Ground Balls
7. Connor Helm - 30

Caused Turnovers
2. Kyle Craig - 15

Face-Off Percentage
4. Matthew Freeman - 67.4%

Goals Against Average
7. Eric Mueller - 10.10
8. Sage Garito - 10.22

Save Percentage
2. Sage Garito - 58.6%
8. Eric Mueller - 54.5%