Game Notes

Last Time Out

Devyn Crone scored with four seconds remaining to lift the third-ranked Diplomats to a 12-11 victory over No. 20 York (Pa.) as F&M improved to 2-0 on the year with a pair of nationally-ranked wins. Crone's goal came just over a minute after the Spartans had tied the game at 11-all and won the ensuing draw to look for their own heroic ending. Nevertheless, Megan Bizub had other ideas as she caused a turnover on the defensive end before passes to Lauren Pittman and Lydia Cassilly got the ball out in transition for Crone to complete the thrilling conclusion to the nationally-ranked showdown.

Crone's goal made her one of three Diplomats who finished with hat tricks as she joined Lane Lambeth (four goals) and Pittman (three goals) in pacing the attack. In addition to making the game-winning pass to find Crone, Cassilly found the back of the cage twice. Cassilly and Pittman both finished the contest with five total points on the attack. Sara DiGiovanni made nine saves in the win. That included seven saves during the second half when her team needed her the most. F&M also held a 17-10 edge in draw controls, with Lauren Pittman collecting 11 of those possessions off of the restarts. Bizub's final caused turnover was the highlight of her day, but she led F&M with three ground balls and two caused turnovers throughout the contest.

Last Time vs. Messiah

Franklin & Marshall had had four different players record hat tricks during an 18-7 win during the 2024 season. The Diplomats scored nine of their 18 goals during the first quarter against the host Falcons. Lydia Cassilly and Lauren Pittman led Franklin & Marshall by scoring five goals each, with Cassilly adding two more assists for a team-best seven points. Gillian Brennan and Lane Lambeth also recorded hat tricks with three goals each during the victory. Defensively, the Diplomats allowed just three total goals during the final 45 minutes of regulation time.

Franklin & Marshall finished the contest with a 33-14 advantage in shots and won 18 of the 26 draw controls on the evening. The Diplomats additionally held Messiah to 10-of-19 on its clearing attempts. Sarah Bowyer won a team-high six draw controls, with Pittman adding four more wins off of those restarts. Izzy Deubner was a standout on the defensive side of the field as she led the team in both ground balls (4) and caused turnovers (3). Alyssa Moran made two saves in goal during the first 45 minutes before Sara DiGiovanni closed out the game in goal during the fourth quarter.

Last Time vs. Catholic

The 2024 victory against the Cardinals marked F&M's first of the 2024 season and the most dominant victory in the series history. Despite the 21-5 final score, it was the Cardinals that held a 3-0 lead just over three minutes into the game before the Diplomats shut down Catholic and scored 21 of the contest's 23 goals for the resounding victory. Five Diplomats recorded hat tricks, with Lauren Pittman's six-point outing (four goals, two assists) pacing the attack. Gillian Brennan and Lane Lambeth also matched her team high with four goals while assisting on one other goal. Devyn Crone matched Pittman's team high in points with three goals and three assists, while Lydia Cassilly added three more goals to the winning side. Liv Cooper, Skylar Holmes, and Avery Briggs also got into the scoring outburst inside Shadek Stadium. Madison Bray added a multi-point game to F&M with two assists of her own on the afternoon.

Franklin & Marshall finished with a 40-16 advantage in shots. The Diplomats also held the advantages in both ground balls (25-14) and draw controls (16-14). In addition to her huge offensive performance, Pittman contributed in a number of other facets as she led her side with five ground balls and four caused turnovers. Belle Dintino forced three Catholic turnovers, as Lambeth and Mia Geignetter also came away with a pair of turnovers from the Cardinals. Pittman, Lambeth, and Sarah Bowyer helped control the restarts with four draw controls each. Alyssa Moran made three saves in goal to anchor the defensive unit that faced just eight shots in half – including none during the third quarter.

Messiah  Preview

The Falcons have already played five games this spring and are off to a 4-1 start. The most impressive of their victories to date has been a 10-8 win against then-No. 24 Scranton to begin the season. Messiah's lone defeat was a 12-7 setback against Gettysburg before it has run off three straight wins entering this week's action. Hayley Lettings has scored 18 goals through the team's first five games this season, with four hat tricks that includes a season-best six goals against Susquehanna on February 26. Grace Pettitt and Jordan Lewicki have also reached double figures in goals during the first thid of the season with 10 tallies each.

As a team, Messiah is averaging 13 goals per game on the attack while conceeding just 8..2. Grace Hejeebu has seen the majority of the action in goal where she is stopping 43.1% of the shots that she has faced. Olivia Hewitt has also made one start in goal. Emma Hagg has caused all kinds of problems for the opposition;s offense with 18 caused turnovers on the year in addition to her 28 draw controls. The Falcons have more than doubled opponents in their draw control victories with a cumulative edge of 80-38 so far this year.

Catholic Preview

The Cardinals are 1-2 on the year with a 14-10 defeat at the hands of No. 2 Salisbury before falling 11-10 to F&M head coach Renee Dowd's former Bates team in overtime. Catholic did pick up its first win of the year during its most recent outing as it defeated Centennial Conference foe Dickinson by a 16-11 score last weekend. Catholic has also challenged itself with another Centennial Conference foe in Gettysburg, with that matchup set for later this month.

Henley Bredemann has scored 11 goals to pace the team this season as the Cardinals are averaging 12 goals per contest. They are also conceeding 12 goals per game with a 28.0 save percentage. Alexandra Ragano and Jamie Handwerger have both seen time in the crease during the early part of the season. Catholic owns a 44-37 edge at the draw as a team, with Jessie Lee and Bredemann with at least 14 draw controls each through three games.  Eight different players have already caused multiple turnovers for the Cardinals.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Draw Controls
2. Lauren Pittman (21)

Caused Turnovers
9. Megan Bizub (5)

Goals Against Average
7. Sara DiGiovanni (11.50)

Save Percentage
3. Sara DiGiovanni (41.0)

Saves
7. Sara DiGiovanni (16)