Game Notes

Last Time Out

Franklin & Marshall will return to action after picking up a pair of nationally-ranked wins against Messiah (w, 19-11) and York (Pa.) (w, 12-10) last week.  During the team's first nationally-ranked win of the year vs. No. 13 Messiah, the Diplomats scored six goals during the first quarter and eight more in the third to pace their dynamic attack.. Lydia Cassilly was one of four Diplomats who posted hat tricks on the afternoon as she registered a team-high six points (5 g, 1 a) on just seven shots. Sydney Lowe, Devyn Crone, and Lauren Pittman each found twine three times inside Shadek Stadium, with Lowe and Crone finishing at five and four points each after setting up their teammates. Lane Lambeth also talled twice, with Madison Bray, Maddy Birch, and Adde Hollander additionally finding their way onto the score sheet. Bray's goal came on top of setting up three others throughout the nationally-ranked battle.

Franklin & Marshall got very strong production in the crease from its goalies as Alyssa Moran made a career-high nine saves during her 56-plus minutes in goal before Molly Donatelli made two more stops during the closing minutes. A huge key to the F&M success was holding Messiah to just 1-for-9 on free position attempts. The Diplomats also held a 34-25 edge in shots and a 20-17 lead in ground balls throughout the contest. Belle Dintino and Mary Pat McKenna each forced a pair of turnovers. Bray led the Diplomats with seven draw controls, while Caroline Findlay, Cassilly, and McKenna each scooped up a team-best three ground balls.

Against York (Pa.), the Diplomats scored two goals during the final 5:49 of regulation time to break the seventh and final tie of the afternoon. Lydia Cassilly scored a team-leading four goals on the afternoon, including the game-winner that came with just 5:49 left in regulation as the Diplomats finished the contest on a 3-0 run. Lauren Pittman registered five points, including another hat trick, to continue her phenomenal rookie campaign. Sydney Lowe tallied the final goal of the afternoon to finish with a pair, while Lane Lambeth also found the back of the cage twice. Alyssa Moran's play in goal helped limit York (Pa.) to just 3-of-10 on its free-position chances. The Diplomats' goalie made nine saves during her second win of the season. Four Diplomats caused multiple turnovers in the victory, led by four from Caroline Findlay.

Last Time vs. Wesleyan

Playing just once prior in program history, this 2008 matchup pitted the No. 1 Diplomats, who were defending national champions at the time, against then-No. 16 Wesleyan. Sarah Meisenberg and Ashley Bevington each scored four goals, including two in each half to lead F&M to what was the team's 25th consecutive victory at the time. With the game tied at five-all, the Diplomats reeled off five straight goals to end the first half and take the lead for good over the Cardinals. Blake Hargest handed out five assists and Jen Pritchard turned in a hat trick for F&M. Lidia Sanza stopped eight out of 19 shots for her fourth win in the cage. In addition to her four goals, Meisenberg also won five draw controls and caused two turnovers.

Wesleyan Preview

Wesleyan, a team that advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament during the 2022 season, is undefeated with victories over Bates (w, 15-3) and Babson (w, 15-5). The Diplomats' present the No. 10 Cardinals' first nationally-ranked opponent before Wesleyan heads to California during their week of spring break. The Diplomats will also head out for spring break after this contest, heading south for contests against Shenandoah and Rhodes. Chessy Greenwald is the Cardinals' top point producer, but she does it mostly with assists as she she has 11 helpers to go along with her three goals. Olivia Lai has been the team's top scoring option this year with seven goals after two games. The Cardinals are basically even on draw controls but eight different players have multiple caused turnovers, led by Reilly Short's eight CTs. Wesleyan's goalies have combined to stop 46.7 percent of the shots they have faced.