Game Notes

Last Week

Franklin & Marshall comes into the week looking to snap a six-game losing streak.  Last Wednesday at Gettysburg, it was a defensive showdown versus the No. 15 Bullets. The Diplomats held the nationally-ranked squad to its lowest offensive output of the season, but it was not enough in the 8-5 Centennial Conference final. F&M led 4-3 heading into the halftime break, but a 5-0 third quarter in favor of the Bullets swung the momentum in favor of the hosts during Gettysburg's eventual win. The only goal of the first quarter came when Kai Kelly scored with 27 seconds remaining to give his side the early lead.

Teddy Scarborough made his first collegiate start and saved 17 of the 25 shots on goal that he faced as the hosts finished with a slight 38-35 edge in shots. F&M won the ground ball battle by a 31-24 edge, with Adam Soper going 9-for-17 at the face-off X. He collected eight of the team's ground balls on the afternoon. Owen Hire caused a pair of GC turnovers as the Diplomats forced eight giveaways throughout the game.

Against Ursinus this past Saturday, that CC matchup was a back-and-forth battle seemingly all afternoon. The two sides were tied five times after the game's first 10 goals, but a small 3-0 run for the Bears early in the second quarter proved huge in 12-10 final score.

Last Time vs. Washington College

Franklin & Marshall earned a pivotal 13-11 win at Washington College to help them ultimately advance to the Centennial Conference Tournament. F&M never trailed during last year's road battle as WAC only managed to tie the game at five midway through the second quarter. Liam Timmins led the Diplomats with four points (3g, 1a), while Christian Sullivan and Will Mollihan each tallied two goals. Eight different players in total contributed goals to the balanced team effort which additionally saw Sage Garito and Eric Mueller combine to stop 17 of the Shoremen's 28 shots on goal.

The play of F&M's goalies really flipped the play in the Diplomats' favor as Garito picked up the win while making nine saves before Mueller added eight more during the second half. Together, that duo combined for a 60 percent-plus save percentage, while the Shoremen stopped less than 50 percent of F&M's efficient shooting performance.

Last Time vs. Muhlenberg

The Diplomats exacted some revenge from the regular season with a 9-8 overtime victory at Muhlenberg during the 2023 Centennial Conference Tournament first round game. The fourth-seeded Mules – who are receiving votes in the national polls – rained on F&M's parade just two week ago. However, Will Mulligan's goal during the first overtime period gave the Diplomats the final say in the season series as they advanced to the Centennial Conference semifinals.

Christian Sullivan, Kai Kelly, Will Mollihan, Cullen Decker, and Mulligan each finished with multiple points during the postseason victory. Eric Mueller had a huge game in goal as he made 18 saves and stopped nearly 70 percent of the shots on goal he faced throughout the evening to help nullify the Mules' 48-37 advantage in shots. The Diplomats finished the game with a 31-29 edge in ground balls, led by six from Matthew Freeman who won 11 of his 20 face-off attempts. Not far behind him was Falk with five GBs and the huge caused turnover.

Washington College Preview

Washington College comes into the showdown under the Shadek Stadium lights at 3-10 overall but fighting for a playoff spot at 1-4 in the conference. The Shoremen's lone Centennial Conference victory was a 16-9 win against McDaniel to start the conference slate after non-conference triumphs against Elizabethtown and Skidmore. Connor Garrison leads WAC with 26 goals on the season, with Ben Dickinson just behind him at 23. The Shoremen are facing off at 46.5% while stopping 46.4% percent of the shots on goal they have seen with Will Charvala and Colin Gray splitting time in the cage.

Muhlenberg Preview

The Mules enter Saturday's game at 8-7 overall, including a 5-2 record in Centennial Conference play which has the team currently in third place in the Centennial Conference standings behind only Swarthmore and Dickinson. The Mules earned the inside track to the No. 3 seed and first round bye when they defeated Gettysburg in a 12-11 overtime battle last week. Bill Jack leads the Mules with 37 goals while Wyatt Malia is the team leader with 53 points (34g, 19a). Griffin Minute is the team's primary faceoff man, having won 53.1% of the restarts he has taken this season. Stephen Krug has started all but one game in goal and is stopping over 47 percent of the shots on goal he has faced while the team is allowing just 11.01 goals per game.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Ground Balls
2. Adam Soper - 95

Caused Turnovers
4. Kyle Craig - 27

Face-Off Percentage
5. Adam Soper - 53.3%

Goals Against Average
5. Teddy Scarborough - 9.97
8. Sage Garito - 11.28

Save Percentage
3. Teddy Scarborogh - .567
8. Sage Garito - .512

Saves
8. Sage Garito - 132