Game Notes

Last Time Out

The Diplomats traveled to the USA Lacrosse Headquarters to take on defending national champion and current No. 1 Middlebury. The top-ranked Panthers came away with an 18-9 victory against the No. 5 Diplomats in a rematch of last year's Final Four. Middlebury outscored the Diplomats by a 10-2 margin during the middle two quarters to pull away while F&M won the fourth by a 4-3 margin after a highly competitive opening quarter. Gillian Brennan recorded a hat trick against the defending national champions, as she went 3-for-3 on free-position shots to lead a perfect 5-for-5 effort as a team. Lane Lambeth and Lauren Pittman both scored twice, with Lydia Cassilly and Claire Book tallying single goals in the national showdown.

Alyssa Moran made 12 saves to try and slow down the Panthers' attack, but the defending national champions pressured the F&M defense throughout Tuesday's game and finished with a 37-20 advantage in shots. Middlebury additionally created a number of extra possessions on the attack with a 20-10 advantage in draw controls.

Franklin & Marshall bounced back with a 20-12 win during its Centennial Conference win against Muhlenberg. The Diplomats found themselves facing some early adversity against previously undefeated Muhlenberg, but they rebounded behind a huge 10-1 third quarter to hand the Mules a 20-12 defeat during the Centennial Conference opener for both squads. Lauren Pittman paced four Diplomat hat tricks on the afternoon as she scored a team-high five goals. Lydia Cassilly registered a team-leading seven points as she scored four more goals while adding three assists. Both Gillian Brennan and Lane Lambeth had three-goal hat tricks during the victory.

The Diplomats finished the game with a 41-31 edge in shots and doubled up the Mules in shots on goal (34-17). Draw Controls slightly favored F&M at an 18-17 advantage, while the Diplomats held a 31-17 edge in ground balls. In addition to her team lead in goals, Pittman also collected a team-best eight draw controls as Sarah Bowyer gained possession for her side on six occasions.

Last Time vs. Swarthmore

Lydia Cassilly, Maddy Birch, Lauren Pittman, and Lane Lambeth all registered hat tricks as the Diplomats rolled to an 18-5 Centennial Conference victory at Swarthmore. F&M scored nine consecutive goals during the first half and never trailed by less than 10 after their opening goal of the second half. In addition to those four players combining for 13 of F&M's 18 on the day, Sydney Lowe also tallied twice while Madison Bray added three assists. Senior defender Mary Pat McKenna and first-year Liv Cooper also registered the first goals of their collegiate careers, with Abby Gravel also tallying during the win.

Even with a 31-17 advantage in shots, the Franklin & Marshall goalies still finished with more saves than their Swarthmore counterparts. Alyssa Moran got the start and made seven saves during her nearly 40 minutes in goal before Molly Donatelli and Sara DiGiovanni helped the Diplomats record 10 total saves throughout the Centennial Conference contest.

Swarthmore Preview

Swarthmore is currently 7-1 on the season and unbeaten in non-conference play, but the Garnet are 0-1 in Centennial Conference action after an 18-7 loss to Gettysburg. The Garnet are more than doubling up their opponents on the year by averaging 14.88 goals per game on the attack while allowing just seven per contest. Isabella Bloomquiest leads the offense with 30 goals and 16 assists Abigail Love has also scored 20 goals through the first eight games of the season. Mia Holland has been the key to Swarthmore gaining possession as she has caused 10 turnovers and recorded 31 draw controls. Helen Stafford has started all eight games in goal for the Garnet and is stopping 49.5% of the shots on goal she has faced while allowing just 7.60 goals per game. 

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Points
8. Lydia Cassilly (38)
9. Lauren Pittman (35)

Goals
7. Lauren Pittman (27)
9. Gillian Brennan (25)
9. Lane Lambeth (25)

Assists
5. Lydia Cassilly (16)

Ground Balls
9. Lauren Pittman (18)
9. Alyssa Moran (18)

Draw Controls
7. Lauren Pittman (39)
10. Sarah Bowyer (33)

Saves
7. Alyssa Moran (43)