Game Notes

Last Time Out

Franklin & Marshall started off its Centennial Conference slate of action with a 19-5 victory over Muhlenberg. The Diplomats raced out to a 15-3 first half lead and never looked back during its Centennial Conference opener against Muhlenberg on Saturday. The Diplomats were up by double digits with over seven minutes to play in the opening half and would eventually cruise to the 19-5 victory.

Twelve different F&M players scored in the Centennial Conference opener. That listed of scorers was headlined by a trio of hat tricks from Gillian Brennan, Lane Lambeth, and Lauren Pittman. Madison Bray, Abby Gravel, Kate McLam, Sydney Lowe, and Sarah Delaney also registered multiple points during the Centennial Conference win. Franklin & Marshall tripled up Muhlenberg with a 21-7 advantage in draw controls, while the Diplomats more than doubled up the Mules in shot attempts, 36-14. Sarah Bowyer was exceptionally strong on the restarts, collecting six draw controls. Belle Dintino, Caroline Findlay, Lambeth, and Bray also secured the possession for Franklin & Marshall multiple times following restarts. Dintino additionally caused a pair of turnovers during the few chances Muhlenberg had the ball in its possession.

Last Time vs. Catholic

During last season's 15-6 victory against Catholic, Ally Marino continued registered a career-best nine points, paced by a career-high seven goals. Lydia Cassilly, Gillian Brennan, and Sydney Lowe also had two goals and an assist each during the non-conference victory. All-American goalie Emily Kitchin thwarted the Catholic attack by stopping 13 of the Cardinals' 19 shots on goal. It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Diplomats as they won all four quarters. The day started off strong and only continued to build as F&M scored the opening three goals in under five minutes and raced out to an eventual 4-0 lead.

F&M finished the contest with a 36-26 advantage in shots. The Diplomats held just a 23-19 advantage in shots on goals, but terrific shooting and a huge day from Kitchin loomed large in the victory. The Franklin & Marshall attack certainly made the most of its free position attempts, converting seven of those chances throughout the contest. That total included four FPS goals from Marino. Kitchin stopped three free-position attempts from the Cardinals and watched another attempt sail wide of the cage.

Last Time vs.  Swarthmore

F&M will be playing Swarthmore in its second conference game for back-to-back seasons. The Diplomats started 2-0 in the conference last year with a 16-4 victory over the Garnet. The game was highlighted by Ally Marino scoring her 100th career goal just under five minutes into the contest as the Diplomats outscored the Garnet during every quarter to continually build on their lead. With her 100th career goal in just 44 career games, Marino was far from finished as she totaled six goals and one assist on the afternoon. 

F&M finished the Centennial Conference contest with a 42-18 advantage in shots. F&M also took advantage by scoring on four of its seven free-position shots that the Diplomats earned throughout the contest. The defense certainly played its role in helping the attack keep the pressure on Swarthmore's goalie all afternoon. The Garnet committed 24 turnovers, 20 of which were created by an F&M defender. Caroline Findlay and Mary Pat McKenna each had three on the afternoon, with Izzy Deubner, Erin Phillips, McGarrey, and Emily Kitchin adding a pair of caused turnovers each.

Last Time vs. Salisbury

The then-No. 5 Diplomats took down defending national champion and second-ranked Salisbury by a 16-10 score on the road during the 2022 season. F&M scored 10 of the final 12 goals in the contest to turn a slight 8-6 deficit into a nationally-ranked victory in their favor against the Sea Gulls. F&M was leading 6-3 after a fast and furious start to the opening period of play, but Salisbury countered that run with five straight of its own to hold an 8-6 lead. Just when it looked like the Sea Gulls were seizing the momentum, F&M got a goal from Ally Marino with just four seconds left in the opening half. It did not seem like much at the time, but it would go on to be the beginnings of six straight and 10 of 11 scores overall in favor of the Diplomats during dominant second half.

Bray and Marino each scored a pair of goals during the opening quarter as the Diplomats raced out to the early edge. During F&M's 6-0 run, the attack came from a variety of different looks as Birch was the only player to tally twice during that span. Marino, Brennan, Lowe, and McGarrey gave the Sea Gulls defense far too many options to completely cover during that extended run.

Catholic Preview

Catholic enters the week currently receiving votes in the IWLCA national poll. These teams have met consistantly since their 2014 NCAA Tournament second round matchup and the Diplomats own a 5-2 edge in the series. The Cardinals' only wins in the series have been a pair of overtime victories. Catholic is currenlty 3-6 on the season, including a pair of setbacks to Centennial Conference foes Dickinson (L, 13-12) and Gettysburg (L, 21-6). Catholic has also played Washington and Lee (L, 12-6) and Salisbury (L, 10-6) during a challenging schedule. Kate Olsen leads a trio of double figure scorers with 22 goals on the season. Caroline Beckett is the team's top point producer with 13 goals and 16 assists. The Cardinals are just over the 50 percent mark as a team in draw controls while their goalies are stopping just 36 percent of the shots that they have faced.

Swarthmore Preview

The Garnet were undefeated in non-conference action, but suffered their first defeat of the 2023 season when they dropped a 15-4 matchup against Gettysburg to start Centennial Conference play. Emma Holub is leading Swarthmore in both goals (21) and points (26). Elizabeth Zack (18 goals) and Isabela Bloomquist (17 goals) are others to watch when the Garnet have the ball. Swarthmore has an 86-63 advantage in draw controls this season and has scored 42 free-position goals during the team's first seven contests. Helen Stafford has seen the bulk of the action in goal, but Katee Kemether is stopping just under 65 percent of the shots she has faced to date in fewer minuts.

Salisbury Preview

The Sea Gulls enter the week ranked sixth in the latest IWLCA national poll. Sitting at 6-3 overall, all three of those defeats have been tight affairs with losses to Washington and Lee (L, 6-5), William Smith (L, 12-9), and Tufts (L, 11-10 (OT)). The Sea Gulls do own victories over Centennial Conference foes Washington College (W, 9-6) and Gettysburg (W, 10-8). F&M won both the 2007 and 2009 national championships with wins over Salisbury and have also meet the Sea Gulls in the Elite 8 during the 2013, 2014, and 2016 national tournaments. Since the 2016 win in the Elite 8, the Diplomats are 3-2 in their last five against its fellow perennial national power. Five Sea Gulls have at least 10 goals during the first nine games, with team leader Emma Skoglund having scored 20 times on the season. Opponents have had success on the draw and free-position, but Salisbury is stopping over 52 percent of the shots it is facing as Kaitlyn Hunsinger has started all nine contests.

F&M Individuals in Centennial Conference Top 10

Assists
8. Madison Bray - 11

Goals Against Average
8. Alyssa Moran - 10.27

Save Percentage
6. Alyssa Moran - 43.9%

Wins
3. Alyssa Moran - 5