Game Notes

Last Time Out

F&M is riding a season-best seven game winning streak after defeating both Washington College and Rowan last week. The Diplomats wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 21-12 victory against Rowan as they used a 13-2 scoring advantage during the middle two quarters to pull away inside Shadek Stadium. Lydia Cassilly scored a career-high six goals while dishing out one additional assist to match her career high for points as she found the back of the cage during each of her shots on goal. Lane Lambeth and Lauren Pittman also scored three times, which additionally helped Lambeth eclipse the 100 point mark for her career.

Franklin & Marshall earned its fourth straight double-digit Centennial Conference victory with a 20-5 triumph over Washington College. The Diplomats moved to a perfect 5-0 in Centennial Conference play following the victory, including a 6-0 record inside Shadek Stadium. Lydia Cassilly was one of six Diplomats who finished with multiple goals as she found the back of the cage a team-leading five times and totaled six points throughout the conference victory. Gillian Brennan's hat trick was part of a four-point performance for her, with Avery Briggs, Adde Hollander, Lane Lambeth, and Kate McLam also scoring twice during the win. Franklin & Marshall scored the first four goals of Saturday's game, and 13 of the first 14 overall, as the hosts conceded just one goal during the opening half. Devyn Crone got the Diplomats on the board first before the slew of multi-goal scorers started to assert their will over the game.

Last Time vs. Gettysburg

Franklin & Marshall won its ninth Centennial Conference Championship in program history with a thrilling 15-14 win at Gettysburg on Sunday. With the victory, the Diplomats avenged their regular season result against the No. 8 Bullets and secured the Centennial Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. All nine of F&M's Centennial Conference Championships have come since the 2007 season, including two of the past three years.

Gillian Brennan was named the Centennial Conference Tournament MVP as she scored four goals and assisted on two more during the championship game, with her efforts being aided by hat tricks from Lydia Cassilly and Lauren Pittman. Seven different players in total scored during the win as F&M used a 7-3 fourth quarter advantage to complete the thrilling come-from-behind win in which they did not lead until the 9:51 mark of the fourth quarter.

Both teams finished the game with 23 shots on goal, with one more save from Moran proving to be a huge difference in the final box score. The F&M defense caused eight turnovers – including two each from Ellen Kelly and Lane Lambeth. Lambeth also led the team with four ground balls. Megan Bizub had a huge day on the draw controls, winning six of those restarts for the Diplomats.

Last Time vs. Haverford

F&M punched its ticket to the 2023 Centennial Conference Championship after a thrilling 9-8 win against third-seeded Haverford under the Shadek Stadium lights to start the 2023 postseason. The Diplomats trailed 7-3 at the half, but used a 5-1 advantage during the third quarter while allowing just that single tally to the Fords over the final 30 minutes of regulation time.

Lauren Pittman had a hat trick and team-high four points, with Sydney Lowe adding two more goals. Lydia Cassilly and Madison Bray each scored to pace their multi-point games while Maddy Birch and Lane Lambeth also found the back of the cage. Alyssa Moran came up with seven huge saves, including four during the second half when F&M stifled the Haverford attack in the come-from-behind victory.

The Diplomats finished 2-of-6 on free position shots as Pittman's run on an FPS chance provided the game-winning goal with 10:09 left in the fourth. Even more importantly, F&M held Haverford to just a single goal on eight free-position shots. A huge save from Moran with 3:45 remaining in regulation turned away Haverford's attempt to tie the game as the Diplomats finished with a 9-3 edge in shots during the fourth quarter. F&M held a 32-25 advantage in shots at the final buzzer thanks in large part to a 21-7 edge in that category over the final 30 minutes.

Gettysburg Preview

The Bullets come into the rivalry game ranked No. 8 in the country and tied with F&M for first place in the Centennial Conference standings. Gettysburg was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country (the spot the Diplomats currently hold) after finishing the 2023 season as the national runner-up. Washington and Lee and Salisbury have both defeated the Bullets, while the Diplomats were also downed by Washington and Lee but earned a win against Salisbury just two weeks ago. Jordan Basso leads the attack with 45 goals, while Julia Daly is right behind her with 44 on the season. Basso has additionally dished out 24 assists for a team-high 69 points. The Bullets own a commanding 140-98 advantage in draw controls on the season as goalie Gillian Cortese is allowing just 7.55 goals per game and stopping 49.3% percent of the shots on goal that she has faced.

Haverford Preview

The Fords are 9-4 on the season and sport a 5-1 record in Centennial Conference play with their only conference loss being a 16-5 defeat at Gettysburg. Haverford's highest ranked win of the season came via 9-8 final against then-No. 15 Christopher Newport. while each of its other three losses have come by two or fewer goals. Brooke Epstein leads Haverford with 45 goals, 15 assists, and 60 points on the season as different Fords have double-digit goal totals on the season. Tiffany Mikulis is the team's top threat on the restarts with 42 draw controls. Lizzie Symonds has started the last 10 games in the cage for the Fords and is saving 47.1 percent of the shots on goal she has faced to support a defense which is allowing 9.56 goals per game.

F&M Individuals in Centennial Conference Top 10

Points
1. Lydia Cassilly - 71
4. Lauren Pittman - 66

Goals
3. Lauren Pittman - 47
4. Lydia Cassilly - 46
8. Gillian Brennan - 44
9. Lane Lambeth - 44

Assists
4. Lydia Cassilly - 25
7. Madison Bray - 22

Draw Controls
2. Lauren Pittman - 73

Caused Turnovers
5. Belle Dintino - 21

Goals Against Average
5. Alyssa Moran - 10.05

Saves
8. Alyssas Moran - 69

Save Percentage
7. Alyssa Moran - 37.9%