Game Notes

Last Time Out

Playing in Florida during the College's week of Spring Break, the Diplomats recorded wins against Denison (W, 19-11) and St. Mary's (Md.) (W, 20-10) during their day of competition in the Sunshine State. Starting off with a rematch of last year's Sweet 16 versus No. 25 Denison, Florida native Lauren Pittman made herself right at home as she registered a career-high nine points as she scored seven goals and assisted on two more during No. 5 F&M's win over the Big Red. Pittman needed just eight shots on goal to do so as she also collected seven draw controls. Lydia Cassilly recorded another hat trick with three goals and three assists, while Lane Lambeth and Claire Book both scored twice during the victory.

The Diplomats and Big Red were tied at four-all after 15 minutes of play, while Denison took a 5-4 lead with the first goal of the second quarter. However, F&M scored the next seven goals to take an 11-5 lead after which they never looked back. Pittman scored the first three goals of that offensive run, with Kate McLam and Gillian Brennan getting onto the scoresheet as two of the nine Diplomats to score during the opening game. Denison trimmed the deficit down to 12-9 with 2:49 to play in the third quarter after scoring four of the next five goals. Unfazed, the Diplomats scored six of the next seven goals – with many of those aiding a 6-2 fourth quarter advantage – to extend the lead to 18-10 before the eventual 19-11 final. Devyn Crone, Madison Bray, and Julia Carbon added their names to the list of goal scorers during the final period as F&M put an exclamation point on its victory.

Following a short break, the Diplomats' attack did not cool down as F&M scored 13 times during the opening half of its 20-10 victory against St. Mary's (Md.). Gillian Brennan paced the attack in this game with five goals and one assist, while Lambeth added three more to the winning total. Cassilly, Claire Book, and Avery Briggs all added two goals and were among 11 different goal scorers which included the first in the careers of both Emma Smith and Greta Harnish.

The Diplomats outshot the Sea Gulls 23-10 during the first half as they raced out to the early lead and finished the contest with a 35-21 advantage in shots. The Sea Gulls struck first during the afternoon matchup, but the Diplomats ran off the next six goals. However, the biggest run was yet to come as F&M scored nine consecutive goals starting at the 8:33 mark of the second period and continuing until there was 6:35 remaining in the third quarter. The game's largest run put the Diplomats up 16-4. The Sea Gulls scored four straight on their own to bring the deficit back to single digits, but F&M closed on a high note with three of the contest's final four tallies.

Last Time vs.  Middlebury

Playing in the Final Four in Salem, Virginia, the Diplomats saw their deep run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament come to a close at the hands of No. 1 Middlebury who would go on to win the national championship. F&M played the national champions close for much of the first half before the undefeated Panthers closed the final 2:56 of the opening 30 minutes on a 4-0 run to create some separation. The Diplomats' attack continued to display a number or versatile options as the team got hat tricks from Lydia Cassilly, Gillian Brennan, and Lauren Pittman. Nevertheless, Middlebury's Jane Earley – the reigning IWLCA National Player of the Year – led six multi-goal scorers from the opponent's high-powered attack to a spot in Sunday's national championship game.

F&M was outstanding on the draw during the first quarter as it doubled up the Panthers with a 6-3 edge in the early possessions. Madison Bray and Ava Turner both had three draw controls to lead that category for the Diplomats which ultimately ended with a 21-18 advantage in favor of Middlebury. Defensively, Abbi Boehl caused two of F&M's seven turnovers which included 12 Middlebury turnovers on the afternoon. Alyssa Moran made eight saves during a very busy afternoon in front of her before Molly Donatelli made one last save during her time on the field.

Last Time vs. Muhlenberg

Franklin & Marshall raced out to a 15-3 first half lead against the Mules in 2023 and never looked back during its Centennial Conference opener. The Diplomats were up by double digits with over seven minutes to play in the opening half and would eventually cruise to the 19-5 victory. Twelve different F&M players scored in the Centennial Conference opener. That listed of scorers was headlined by a trio of hat tricks from Gillian Brennan, Lane Lambeth, and Lauren Pittman. Madison Bray, Abby Gravel, Kate McLam, Sydney Lowe, and Sarah Delaney also registered multiple points during the Centennial Conference win.

Franklin & Marshall tripled up Muhlenberg with a 21-7 advantage in draw controls, while the Diplomats more than doubled up the Mules in shot attempts, 36-14. Sarah Bowyer was exceptionally strong on the restarts, collecting six draw controls. Belle Dintino, Caroline Findlay, Lambeth, and Bray also secured the possession for Franklin & Marshall multiple times following restarts. Dintino additionally caused a pair of turnovers during the few chances Muhlenberg had the ball in its possession.

Middlebury Preview

Middlebury comes into the game having won the last three national championships that the Panthers competed for. They won the 2019, 2022, and 2023 national championships after following the NESCAC protocals and opting out of the 2021 season. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Panthers are 74-2 overall, including a 4-0 start to the 2024 season. Middlebury comes into this game as the No. 1 team in the country, while the Diplomats are ranked fifth in the latest IWLCA national poll. Middlebury has won each of its first four games by at least 10 goals with a combined 66-15 score.

Susan Rowley is leading the team with 15 goals and 20 points in the early part of the season, while Hope Shue has added 12 goals and six assists. Caroline Adams has been a strong third option for the attack with eight goals and eight assists. Middlebury has also been strong on the draw, winning 58 restarts compared to just 36 for the opponents. Adams hasa a team-high 29 draw controls through the first four games. Maggie Coughlin is leading the Panthers with six caused turnovers. Gina Driscoll has started each of the first four games in goal and is allowing just 3.22 goals per game while stopping 47.4% of the shots she has faced.

Muhlenberg Preview

The Mules enter the week a perfect 6-0 on the seaosn with a game Wednesday versus Nazareth that will be the team's final contest before the Centennial Conference opener against the Diplomats. Muhlenberg's closest game of the year was a 12-11 win against Misericordia as the Mules are nearly doubling up their opponents with an average of 17.95 goals per game on offense while allowing just 9.05 goals per contest. Five different Mules have scored at least 10 goals through the team's first six games, but Nicole Steiner is far and away the team leader with 30 goals on the season.

Four different Mules have at least 10 draw controls, with Emily Vaughn's 31 DCs leading the way. Vaughn also leads three Muhlenberg players with 13 caused turnovers on the season, with Rebecca Himelfarb (12 CTs) and Abba Diglio (11 CTs) also putting up strong showings on defense. Ellison Ervin has seen the majority of the time in goal and is allowing just 8.74 goals per game while stopping 51.1% of the shots she has faced.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Points
7. Lydia Cassilly (28)
7. Lauren Pittman (28)

Goals
4. Lane Lambeth (20)
4. Lauren Pittman (20)
7. Gillian Brennan (19)

Assists
4. Lydia Cassilly (11)
9. Madison Bray (10)

Ground Balls
10. Belle Dintino (14)

Draw Controls
5. Lauren Pittman (28)

Goals Against Average
5. Alyssa Moran (9.82)

Save Percentage
10. Alyssa Moran (.333)

Saves
8. Alyssa Moran (26)