Game Notes

Last Week

Franklin & Marshall will be looking to bounce back from its first two defeats of the season, with both of those hard-fought defeats coming late in regulation time. During the Diplomats' home opener, the non-conference clash was tied on seven occasions before the visiting Bobcats scored all three goals during the fourth quarter of the 12-9 final. Seven different players scored for the Diplomats, with Jacob Szczepanski and Matt Marino both finishing as multi-goal scorers for the hosts. William Shaw made 14 saves in his collegiate debut for the Diplomats, but took the tough loss decision despite F&M scoring on nine of its 15 shots on goal.

Last Saturday's game at York (Pa.) was a defensive battle that fell 6-5 in favor of the Spartans. Teddy Scarborough made 16 saves to star in the crease, but his counterpart in the opposite crease matched that total to give his side the narrow non-conference victory. F&M was leading 3-2 at the half before Scarborough made 10 of his 16 saves during the final 30 minutes of regulation. Despite those efforts, it was the Spartans who scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal with 5:02 remaining in regulation time. That final goal secured the narrow victory in what was just the hosts' second lead all afternoon.

Last Time vs. Messiah

F&M took a 12-5 win at home against Messiah when these teams met a season ago. Leading 4-3, the Diplomats scored twice in the final seconds of the first half as part of a 5-0 run that spanned until early into the fourth quarter. Kai Kelly recorded a hat trick to pace the attack as nine different players scored for the Diplomats throughout the win. Colin Hueston finished with a team-best four points after tallying one goal and assisting on three others.

Franklin & Marshall trailed just once all game when the Falcons struck first. Kelly scored two of his three goals during the second quarter, while Jack Luviano cracked the scoreboard with just 12 seconds to remaining before the half as the Diplomats went from the 5:39 mark of the second quarter until the 14:01 point of the fourth quarter without allowing a goal. During that span of nearly 22 shutout minutes, Liam Timmins, Owen Hire, and Kelly all found the back of the cage during the third quarter. Hire's goal was particularly notable as he snipped a shot from midfield with the goalie caught in a compromised position for his first career goal off a pass from fellow defender Jackson Barnhill.

Last Time vs. Ohio Wesleyan

Ranked No. 20 in the country during the last meeting in 2016, the Diplomats suffered a 15-8 setback to then-No. 18 Ohio Wesleyan at Cold Spring High School. The Bishops took an early 1-0 lead midway through the first before the Diplomats answered with three straight for a 3-1 lead early in the second quarter. OWU answered with two on their own to tie the game at 3-3 before the teams traded goals to send the game into the break tied a 4-4.

OWU took control in the third, tallying three goals in 25 seconds to take the lead for good and added a fourth around the five-minute mark to jump ahead 8-4. The Bishops continued their dominance with four more goals to complete an eight-goal third for a 12-4 lead heading in the fourth. The Diplomats battled back in the fourth, outscoring OSW 4-3, but F&M could not overcome the third quarter deficit.

Messiah Preview

Messiah is off to a 1-1 start after the Falcons started their season with a 17-14 victory against Catholic before taking a 20-8 loss against No. 20 Swarthmore during its most recent outing. Messiah is in the midst of a six-game homestand to start the 2025 season. Bobby Berg and Michael Cook each have seven points (4g, 3a) to lead the team in point production, with Owen Hammel as the team's leader with five goals. Jourdain Algarin has gotten both of the starts in goal and is saving 43.3 percent of the the shots he has faced while allowing an average of 17 goals per contest.

The Falcons have struggled at the face-off X, winning just 30.8 percent of the restarts. Brady Miller has seen the most attempts, winning 12 of his 25 restarts through the first two games. Walker Penchansky is a player to watch on defense as he has caused eight turnovers, while Jed Davis leads his team with nine ground balls. 

Ohio Wesleyan Team Preview

Ohio Wesleyan enters the week on a two-game winning streak coming off of a 18-12 win against Grove City and 14-7 triumph over Ohio Northern. OWU started the 2025 season with a 19-14 loss at the hands of Stevenson and currently sits at 2-1 on the year. Both of their wins have come at win, while the lone defeat was also the team's only road trip to date this spring. Four different players have scored at least seven goals through the first three games, led by 12 goals from Henry Ross who owns a .600 shooting percentage on the year. Wade Beckstrom, Carson Geier, and Joey Wiseman all have at least 10 points in addition to their seven-plus goals.

Nathan George has seen every minute in the crease for Ohio Wesleyan and is stopping 46.5% of the shots he has faced while allowing 12.67 goals per game. On the attack, OWU is scoring 15.33 goals per outing. Ohio Wesleyan is just under 50 percent at the face-off X (46 won, 48 lost as a team). Noah Citek has seen the majority of the action on restarts and has won just over 52 percent of the draws this season. He is also leading the team with 17 ground balls, while Wes Silver and Trey Weber are tied for the team lead with four caused turnovers.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Goals
8. Kai Kelly - 7

Assists
3. Preston Blue - 5
5. Mason Montrella - 4

Points
8. Mason Montrella - 9

Face-Off Percentage
7. Braden Shipp - .500

Goals Against Average
2. Teddy Scarborough - 5.14

Saves
8. Teddy Scarborough - 22

Save Percentage
2. Teddy Scarborough - .710