Game Notes

Last Time Out

The then-No. 6 Diplomats had four different players record hat tricks during an 18-7 win at Messiah last Wednesday night. The Diplomats bring a three-game winning streak into this week after scoring nine of their 18 goals during the first quarter against the host Falcons during the mid-week matchup. 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.

Both Pittman and Cassilly had their respective hat tricks wrapped up by the end of the fast-paced first quarter after which the Diplomats held a 9-4 advantage. 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.  Denison

The Diplomats defeated Denison by a 15-6 score in their 2023 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup to make the team's 24th appearance all-time in the Elite 8 of the national tournament. Maddy Birch (4 goals) and Lane Lambeth (3 goals) paced nine different goal scorers for the Diplomats throughout the Sweet 16 matchup. Lambeth was especially precise with her shooting as she rattled the back of the cage with each of her three shots on goal. Birch tied for the team in points with Lydia Cassilly (2 goals, 2 assists) and Lauren Pittman (1 goal, 3 assists).

Franklin & Marshall got out to an early 3-2 lead after the first period behind a pair of man-up conversions from Birch and Lambeth on free-position attempts. A second goal from Birch off a pass from Cassilly gave F&M a 2-1 lead for its first advantage of the afternoon. The Diplomats would not trail again the rest of the afternoon as Birch finished her hat trick with 10:36 to play in the first half, while Abby Gravel, Madison Bray, and Pittman all added their name to the scoresheet during a run that made the score 7-2 with just under five minutes remaining in the second period. Cassilly's first goal of the afternoon made the score an 8-4 advantage after 30 minutes of action.

F&M finished the game with a 40-21 advantage in shots on goal thanks in part to a defense that limited Denison just 14-of-20 on its clearing attempts. Delaney Liston forced two of the Diplomats' nine caused turnovers on the afternoon. During the limited chances the Big Red had on the attack, Alyssa Moran stepped up to stop six of those 12 shots on goal before Molly Donatelli finished off the final minutes of the NCAA Tournament victory. The Diplomats also held the edge in draw controls (13-11) and ground balls (22-16), while finishing 4-of-5 on their free-position attempts. Nine different players picked up at least one draw control, led by Ava Turner's three on the afternoon. Caroline Findlay's four ground balls led six F&M players who scooped up multiple GBs.

Last Time vs. St. Mary's (Md.)

The Diplomats played two games when they first met St. Mary's (Md.) during the 2018 season in California. Franklin & Marshall picked up two victories as the Diplomats downed St. Mary's 13-6 early in the day and took care of host Occidental 17-8 in the nightcap to wrap up their spring break week. F&M went ahead early against St. Mary's 2-0, but the Sea Hawks countered with two and tied the game. The Diplomats answered with three straight and took the lead for good and after goal by St. Mary's, F&M need three to close out the half and took an 8-3 lead into the break.

Four straight to start the second put the Diplomats up 12-3 and with the majority of the starters pulled, the Sea Hawks managed to outscore F&M 3-1 in the final 13:04 of action. Paige Moriarty picked up nine points with six goals and three assists while Megan Jackson struck twice. Jane Cote had one score with three helpers, Brianna Gorman struck once and Eileen Cuneo along with Maddie Hughes both had an assist.

Denison Preview

After advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2023, the Big Red have certainly challenged themselves early but are just 1-3 through the first four games with losses to No. 2 Gettysburg (L, 17-10), No. 17 Roanoke (L, 14-7), and No. 17 Chicago (L, 16-14). Denison's one victory this season came via a 17-10 win against Centennial Conference foe Dickinson. Bridget Sheehy and Maddie Morrell are the team's leading goal scorers with nine each, while Josie Lucchesi has a team-best 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) through the first four games as the Big Red are averaging 12 goals scored per game.

Three different players: Merrill Rollhaus (19 DC), Mary Daniel (12 DC), and Mary Martinson (11 DC) have double digit draw controls after just four games. Audrey Hughes is leading the team with 11 ground balls, while Grace Schlossberg has a team-best eight caused turnovers. Hughes has seen the most time in goal and is stopping just 26.4% of the shots on goal she has faced. As a team, Denison is allowing 14.25 goals per game.

St. Mary's (Md.) Preview

St. Mary's is 4-2 on the season, but will bring a four-game winning streak into the games in Florida. The Sea Gulls started the year with narrow 12-11 and 15-13 defeats to No. 16 Roanoke and Washington College, respectively. Since that time, they have defeated Trinity (D.C.), Susquehanna, Messiah, and Capital. They will also play Denison during their trip to Florida, playing the Big Red with a two-day break in between the contests.

Hailey Betch (22 goals) and Colin Horton (20 goals) have provided the majority of the offense for St. Mary's (Md.) who enters the game averaging 16.5 goals per game. Rachel Freeman is team leader in both ground balls (21) and caused turnovers (8) on the defensive end of the field. Katelin Scala is leading St. Mary's (Md.) with 22 draw controls. Allie Greeley has started each of the Sea Gulls first six games in goal. She is stopping 47.1 percent of the shots she has faced and is allowing just nine goals per game.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Points
7. Lydia Cassilly (18)
9. Lauren Pittman (17)

Goals
8. Lane Lambeth (15)
9. Gillian Brennan (13)

Assists
6. Madison Bray (7)
9. Lydia Cassilly (6)

Caused Turnovers
9. Lauren Pittman (7)
10. Belle Dintino (6)

Ground Balls
9. Lauren Pittman (11)

Draw Controls
9. Lauren Pittman (18)

Goals Against Average
5. Alyssa Moran (9.87)

Save Percentage
10. Alyssa Moran (.315)

Saves
9. Alyssa Moran (17)