Game Notes

Last Week

The Diplomats welcomed local rival York (Pa.) to Shadek Stadium last Saturday afternoon to put its undefeated record on the line. Unfortunately for F&M, the Spartans proved more than worthy of their No. 10 national ranking during a 15-6 final that handed the Diplomats their first defeat of the season.\

Franklin & Marshall played even with York (Pa.) during the first half of the game and was trailing just 5-4 after Mason Montrella rattled the back of the cage with 2:26 to play in the first half. However, the Spartans added a goal just before the break and outscored F&M 9-2 over the final 30 minutes to pull away with the victory. Montrella and Liam Timmins each scored multiple goals to lead F&M's attack, while Kai Kelly and Jack Luviano each tallied single goals.

Last Time vs. Messiah

A 9-0 run that spanned the first through third quarters paced F&M to a 15-7 win at Messiah. The Diplomats were up 10-1 after that extended stretch and never looked back during the non-conference victory. Christian Sullivan led Franklin & Marshall with five goals. Will Mollihan was the team's high point producer as she scored twice and dished out four assists, while Cullen Decker added two more goals. Will Mulligan, Colin Hueston, and Liam Timmons also found the back of the cage during the 15-7 final.

Holding the hosts scoreless for 34:17 certainly gave Franklin & Marshall plenty of chances to pull away and they definitely took advantage. Sullivan scored four of his five goals during that 9-0 run, with five other players tallying a single goal. Mollihan and Mulligan each had two helpers during that period of dominance, with single assists on three other goals that also featured a helper from Colin Falk. The domination at the face-off X was a dual effort from both Matthew Freeman and Connor Helm. Freeman won 11-of-14, while Helm claimed seven wins in 11 restarts. Brendan Murphy secured a team-high four ground balls as one of nine Diplomats with multiple GBs on the evening. Four different players caused a turnover for the F&M defense.

Last Time vs. Catholic

Locked in a 10-9 battle at the half, the Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse scored 13 goals and conceded just one during the second half for a 23-10 victory over Catholic in the nation's capital. Although the attack certainly captured its share of the headlines with another strong performance, Kyle Craig was exceptional on defense as he caused six turnovers to tie the school record for a single game which had been accomplished just three times prior. 

Coming out of the halftime break, the Diplomats dominated the third quarter with a 17-1 advantage in shots. That offensive pressure resulted in eight third quarter goals, featuring three in that period alone from Garofalo. Franklin & Marshall's run extended to 12-0 late in the fourth quarter as the score climbed to a 22-9 Diplomat advantage. After the Cardinals finally broke their scoreless stretch in the final minute of regulation, Carter Connors quickly answered with his first career goal. The Diplomats finished the contest with a 56-32 advantage in shots and also made two more saves than the Catholic goalies (11-9).

Messiah Preview

Messiah enters the week with a 2-0 record, with its closest battle being a 11-10 overtime victory against the same Catholic team that the Diplomats will face on Saturday. The Falcons most recently secured a 21-8 victory against Marymount where Chad Teresky was named the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week after leading his team with 11 points on five goals and six assists. Bobby Berg and Mike McKnelly lead the Messiah attack with nine goals each through the first two games. Those two players, along with Teresky, are tied for the team lead with 15 points.

The Falcons have used three goals this season, with Jourdain Algarin getting both starts. He is 2-0 as the goalie of record and is stopping 66.7% of the shots he faced while allowing 8.04 goals per game in just over 97 minutes. Playing in front of him, Tristan Lynch and David Gross are tied for the team lead with four caused turnovers. As a team, Messiah has used four different players at the face-off X who have combined for 38.9 winning percentage. Ben Antel has seen the most opportunities with his 7-for-21 start (33.3%) to the season. 

Catholic Team Preview

Catholic enters the week looking for its first win on the young season as their only previous contest was the aforementioned overtime loss against Messiah during the season opener. The Cardinals are scheduled to play Stevenson on Wednesday evening so both the Diplomats and Catholic will be playing on the same rest period. Named an honorable mention preseason All-American by the USILA, Victor Rosado led the Cardinals' attack with three goals and two assists during the overtime loss against Messiah. Steven Dezelic also registered a hat trick during that contest.

The Cardinals were very strong at the face-off X during their season opener, winning 66.7 percent of the restarts. Ryan Macksoud (15-for-22 / 68.2%) took the vast majority of those attempts and leads the team with nine ground balls. Billy Carney started in goal during the season opener and played 19:12 before Tyler Merchant finished the remaining time in goal. Catholic finished with a team save percentage of 38.9% during the first game of the year.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Goals
1. Kai Kelly - 11

Assists
6. Christian Sullivan - 4

Ground Balls
1. Adam Soper - 26

Caused Turnovers
3. Brendan Murphy - 7

Face-Off Percentage
4. Adam Soper - .608

Goals Against Average
4. Sage Garito - 10.33

Saves
1. Sage Garito - 36

Save Percentage
4. Sage Garito - .537