Game Notes

Last Time Out

The No. 4 Diplomats opened their 2025 season with a 16-12 victory against No. 6 Washington and Lee. The win was not only a nationally-ranked victory, but it 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. All three of the Diplomats' 60-plus goal scorers from a season ago finished the 2025 season opener with hat tricks. 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.

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. York (Pa.)

F&M topped No. 7 York (Pa.) in a battle of two national powers last year. The Diplomats  jumped out to an early lead with a 4-0 run out of the gates and then held the Spartans scoreless for over 28 minutes during the second through fourth quarters of the 14-10 road victory. Lane Lambeth led three F&M hat tricks with five goals on the evening, with Lydia Cassilly and Lauren Pittman also contributing three goals each. Madison Bray matched the team high of five points with one goal while dishing out four assists in addition to goals from Gillian Brennan and Devyn Crone during the win.

Franklin & Marshall finished with the advantage in shots (32-23), shots on goal (27-16), and ground balls (15-9), while both sides finished with four free-position goals and a basically even draw control. In addition to another strong offensive display, Pittman continued to show her versatility as the reigning Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week led her team with four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Kate McLam added two caused turnovers to the defensive effort which helped limit York (Pa.) to just 13-of-22 on its clear attempts. Lambeth finished her night as one five players with multiple draw controls, leading F&M with four wins off of the restarts. Alyssa Moran was called on to make six saves against the No. 7 Spartans while registering the win in goal.

York (Pa.) Preview

York will begin its 2025 season this coming week with regional games against Scranton and Frankln & Marshall. The season opener for the Spartans will be on Wednesday. The Spartans are currently ranked 20th in the latest IWLCA National Poll. York (Pa.) is in a familiar position as it is the defending MAC Commonwealth champion and a returning NCAA Tournament team. Spartan head coach Jen Muston begins her 18th year at the helm of the program.

The Spartans return all five of their main attackers led by MAC Commonwealth Attacker of the Year Zoe Kluegel. Kluegal finished last year with 58 points on a team-high 43 goals and 15 assists. Logan Ward after she was the team's second leading scorer in 2023 with 62 points on 37 goals and 25 assists.  The midfield features a pair of junior standouts highlighted by do-it-all Sydney Mentzer along with Katie Jeanes.  The Spartans are set in goal as they have a pair of standouts. Bella Garabo and sophomore Audrey Simoes are two strong options in goal. Garabo is now the two-time Division III National Goalie of the Year after a stellar 2024 campaign. Simoes made an impact on the Spartans in limited minutes for York.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Assists
6. Svia Russman-Araya (4)

Draw Controls
4. Lauren Pittman (10)
9. Julia Carbon (7)

Caused Turnovers
8. Megan Bizub (3)

Goals Against Average
9. Sara DiGiovanni (12.00)

Save Percentage
4. Sara DiGiovanni (36.8)

Saves
7. Sara DiGiovanni (7)