Game Notes

Last Time Out

Franklin & Marshall advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 15-11 win over Messiah last Sunday. The Diplomats started strong and finished strong while surviving some challenges in the middle from the Falcons. Senior Lydia Cassilly led F&M with five goals and one assist, with first-year Annie Marshall contributing the first hat trick of her career in a very timely manner. Claire Book added two more goals to the winning effort as eight different Diplomats found their way onto the scoresheet.

Cassilly spearheaded the strong start as she had a hat trick just over three minutes into the contest. After setting up the third goal of the day, Lane Lambeth made it 4-0 just 3:58 into regulation time. The Falcons scored three straight to make it 4-3, but a timeout from the Diplomats helped to restore order as the hosts scored four in a row and were holding an 8-5 lead at the half. Pittman, Marshall, Book, and Cassilly provided the offense during the second quarter. Despite an Adde Hollander goal to start the third quarter, the Falcons tied the game at nine-all with 5:10 to play in the third quarter after a 4-0 run. That prompted another F&M timeout and once again the team responded as Alexandra Proefrock, Devyn Crone, and Marshall gave their team a 12-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the run did not stop there as Cassilly, Book, and Marshall continued to pace the attack while the Diplomats lead grew to a game-high 15-9 advantage before the Falcons had the final two goals of regulation.

Draw controls were a stat heavily controlled by F&M as it held a 19-11 edge in that category. Julia Carbon (eight DCs) and Pittman (six DCs) highlighted those efforts. The Diplomats held a slight 33-32 advantage in shots, but 12 saves from Sara DiGIovanni proved critical as she turned away multiple shots during each period. F&M also held a 17-13 edge in ground balls, with three GBs from Ellen Kelly leading the way.

Last Time vs. Denison

Franklin & Marshall defeated Denison on its 2024 trip to Florida by a 19-11 score. That was the first of two wins that day as the team as defeated St. Mary's (Md.) during its 2024 week in Florida. Florida native Lauren Pittman made herself right at home with a career-high seven goals and nine points during the victory. Pittman needed just eight shots on goal to do so as she also collected seven draw controls. Lydia Cassilly recorded another hat trick with three goals and three assists, while Lane Lambeth and Claire Book both scored twice during the victory.

The Diplomats and Big Red were tied at four-all after 15 minutes of play, while Denison took a 5-4 lead with the first goal of the second quarter. However, F&M scored the next seven goals to take an 11-5 lead after which they never looked back. Pittman scored the first three goals of that offensive run, with Kate McLam and Gillian Brennan getting onto the scoresheet as two of the nine Diplomats to score during the opening game. Denison trimmed the deficit down to 12-9 with 2:49 to play in the third quarter after scoring four of the next five goals. Unfazed, the Diplomats scored six of the next seven goals – with many of those aiding a 6-2 fourth quarter advantage – to extend the lead to 18-10 before the eventual 19-11 final. Devyn Crone, Madison Bray, and Julia Carbon added their names to the list of goal scorers during the final period as F&M put an exclamation point on its victory.

Franklin & Marshall finished the game with 40 shots, compared to just 27 for the Big Red. The Diplomats also held the edge in both ground balls (20-18) and draw controls (17-16). Belle Dintino led the team with five ground balls, while Caroline Findlay caused a pair of turnovers. Alyssa Moran made six saves in nearly 56 minutes of game action before Mary Scally went untested during the remaining time in the cage. Denison scored seven of its goals on free-position attempts during the game.

Last Time vs. Washington and Lee

F&M began its 2025 season back in mid-February with a 16-12 victory over Washington and Lee, snapping a three-game skid that the team was facing against the Generals. The win gave head coach Renee Dowd a win in her F&M coaching debut. The Diplomats had three different runs that reached at least 3-0 to pace the win. Lydia Cassilly, Lauren Pittman, and Lane Lambeth all had hat tricks during the win. Lydia Cassilly headlined those efforts with six goals, while Lane Lambeth and Lauren Pittman finished with four and three goals, respectively. Pittman added two assists to finish with five points while first-year Svia Russman-Araya led F&M with four helpers on the afternoon.

First-year Alexandra Proefrock scored her first career goal just 41 seconds into the second quarter to cap a 4-0 run. Nevertheless, the Diplomats' momentum continued by scoring five of the next six goals even after W&L had stopped that initial run. Cassilly and Lambeth both contributed multiple goals to that stretch which saw the hosts up 9-6 at the break and leading 11-6 midway through the third quarter. The 11-6 margin marked F&M's largest lead of the afternoon as the Generals scored the next three goals to make the score 11-9 with 4:35 to play in the third period. The Diplomats let the score get no closer than that in the remaining time as Cassilly and Pittman each scored within a 62 second period to make the score 13-10 heading into the fourth quarter. The final period started with Devyn Crone tallying her first goal of the season before the final 3-0 run was capped with two more goals from Cassilly to set the score at 16-10 with 2:18 to play before the visitors scored twice in the final 90 seconds.

Franklin & Marshall closed the game with a 31-29 advantage in shots as both team's goalies made seven saves on the afternoon. Sara DiGiovanni got the start in goal and made those stops to earn the victory. The Diplomats dominated the restarts as they held a 22-10 advantage in draw controls. Just one year after tying the school's single-season record, Pittman came away with 10 draw controls during Sunday's win while also scoring the only free-position goal of the afternoon with those limited opportunities. Megan Bizub led F&M with three caused turnovers, while Izzy Deubner added a pair of caused turnovers in addition to her three ground balls.

Last Time vs. Gettysburg

Franklin & Marshall won its third consecutive Centennial Conference Championship just two weeks ago with a 12-7 win versus the rival Bullets. The Diplomats' back-to-back CC titles mark just the second time in program history the team has won three consecutive Centennial titles, with the first being a span of five straight times lifting the trophy from 2007 through 2011. The team's 11th Centennial Conference Championship in program history made it four of the past five years that F&M has captured the conference title. This year's championship celebration was additionally special because it marked the first time since the 2011 season that F&M won the regular season title and then got to hoist the trophy on its home field.

It was a dominant day defensively for the Diplomats who were led by Centennial Conference Tournament MVP Sara DiGiovanni as she stopped 11 of the 18 shots on goal that she faced. That included holding Gettysburg scoreless on its five free-position shot attempts. Lydia Cassily led the team in scoring for the second consecutive postseason game with her hat trick, while Lane Lambeth, Alexandra Proefrock, and Lauren Pittman each scored twice. Franklin & Marshall outscored the Bullets during three of the four quarters and never trailed after Lambeth's second goal of the game tied the score at two-all.

Lucy Rogers and Izzy Deubner bolstered the defensive efforts with three and two caused turnovers, respectively, as they were among six Diplomats who forced a turnover as the Bullets were just 19-of-25 on their clearing attempts and turned the ball over 22 times. Lauren Pittman led the team with six draw controls and was one of six F&M players with multiple GBs. Cassilly and Lambeth led those efforts with three ground balls each.

Denison Preview

The Big Red enter the weekend with a record of 15-4 on the year after winning the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title. The championship was a three-peat for the Big Red. Denison started its season with a pair of losses to Centennial Conference foes Gettysburg (L, 16-6) and Dickinson (L, 9-8). More recently in their common opponents with the Diplomats, they were downed by Washington and Lee in 10-9 final. That loss to the Generals was the most recent defeat the team has had as they enter play this weekend riding an eight-game winning streak. They got through the first weekend with a dominant 23-4 win against Lake Forest after receiving a bye and hosting the second round of the national tournament. Denison is making its 27th appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament 

Anna DeVuono (Offensive Player of the Year) and Mary Martinson (Midfielder of the Year) highlighted a total of nine All-NCAC selections for the Big Red. DeVuono has 76 goals on the team, while Martinson has added 47 more as that dynamic duo has accounted for accounted for nearly half of the team's goals this season. In addition to averaging just under 16 goals per game, Denison is very strong off the draw. Martinson is also the team leader in that category with 88 draw controls entering the weekend. Eight different players have caused at least 10 turnovers, led by Liz Hinton's 23 on the year. Julianne Henigan has started every game in goal and is allowing just 8.67 goals per game while stopping just under 48 percent of the shots she has faced this season.

F&M vs. Denison in NCAA Tournament: The Diplomats and Big Red have met three times previously in the NCAA Tournament, with F&M winning each of those contests. The most recent matchup came during the 2023 season when F&M won by a 15-6 score in the Sweet 16. The first meeting came back in 1991 when F&M was an 11-7 winner over the Big Red during the Elite 8. These two sides also met in the round of 32 during the 2006 season, an 18-4 final in favor of the Diplomats.

Washington and Lee Preview

Entering the weekend at 18-4, Washington and Lee won its 25th Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title this spring and also has two wins under its belt in the NCAA Tournament, claiming respective 26-2 and 19-5 wins against Transylvania and Sewanee. The Generals' strongest win of the season came when they defeated then-No. 2 Salisbury by a 13-7 score. Gettysburg and Washington and Lee did also meet during the regular season, with the Bullets claiming a 15-7 victory on their home turf. Washington and Lee has already seen each of the other three teams at this site as it owns a 10-9 win over Denison during late March. The Generals have won 11 straight entering the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Libby Ford (Defensive Player of the Year) and Lara Baki (Rookie of the Year) highlighted nine All-ODAC selections for the Generals. Hannah Van Son is the team's leader with 63 goals as she leads an attack that is averaging 15.75 goals per game. Baki is just four goals shy of reaching 50 during her rookie campaign. Ford earned defensive player of the year honors in the conference after causing 39 turnovers. She has also collected 58 ground balls. A dominant draw control unit is led by Emma Marsh and Cat Caples who have 79 and 78 draw controls, respectively. Iman Hadded has started all 21 games that she has played and is stopping 43.8 percent of the shots she faced while allowing just 8.47 goals per game. As a team, Washington and Lee is allowing less than seven goals per game.

F&M vs. Washington and Lee in NCAA Tournament: Despite being perennial national powers, the Diplomats and Generals have never played each other in an NCAA Tournament game.

Gettysburg

There is certainly no unfamiliarity when Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg meet is the two Centennial Conference Championship contenders have already met twice this season. The Bullets bring the Centennial Conference's Defensive Player of the Year, Lily Macatee, and Rookie of the Year, Sarah Scollin, into this weekend's action among their seven All-CC selections. The Bullets are 17-3 on the season. In addition to their two losses to F&M, the only other defeat the team has suffered this year came at the hands of Middlebury. Gettysburg does own a 16-6 victory over Denison and 15-7 win versus Washington and Lee during the first three games of the season. The first meeting between the Diplomats and Bullets was a 12-11 final in favor of F&M. The Diplomats created slightly more separation in the conference championship, winning a 12-7 final. 

Julia Daly and Emily Crane are the Bullets' top two options on the attack, with 57 and 52 goals to date during their respective seasons. The Bullets enter the third round of the NCAA Tournament averaging 14.4 goals per game. Crane is just as capable of taking over a game off the restarts as she has won 115 draw controls to date. Macatee and Grace Battle have also won the possession for their teams over 70 times this season. Daly is the team leader with 23 caused turnovers, with Macatee forcing 19 turnovers in addition to collecting 33 ground balls this season. Juliette deVarenne has started every game in the crease and is stopping 47.4 percent of the shots that she has faced while allowing just 9.01 goals per game.

F&M vs. Gettysburg in NCAA Tournament: The Diplomats and Bullets are a constant playoff match with numerous battles to settle the Centennial Conference Championship. However, these teams have met just once in the NCAA Tournament. That lone NCAA matchup was a 13-8 victory in favor of the Diplomats during the 2007 season as F&M defeated Gettysburg for the third time that season en route to the program's first of two national championships.

F&M Individual & Team Rankings in NCAA National Rankings

Team Rankings (top 50)

• 6. Winning percentage (.900)

• 8. Save Percentage (52.9%)

• 19. Clearing percentage (87.2%)

• 28. Draw control percentage (59.2%)

• 31. Scoring defense (8.05 GAA)

• 48. Scoring margin (+5.75)

Individual Rankings

Devyn Crone

• 43. Assists (44)

Sara DiGiovanni

• 5. Save percentage (.534)

• 17. Saves (174)

• 22. Goals against average (8.08)