Game Notes

Last Time Out

Lydia Cassilly recorded her 200th career point last Saturday for the No. 5 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team as the Diplomats (7-2, 2-0 CC) scored the first 11 goals and never looked back during a 16-3 Centennial Conference win against Swarthmore (7-2, 0-2 CC). Cassilly, a junior, finished with a team-high five points as she registered one of the Diplomats' three hat tricks. She finished with four goals and one assist, while Gillian Brennan and Lauren Pittman also scored three times. Eight different players in total found the back of the cage for the Diplomats who did not allow a goal until the 4:38 mark of the second quarter and were leading 12-1 at the half.

Franklin & Marshall dominated with a commanding 43-6 advantage in shots, featuring a 30-6 advantage in shots on goal. The Diplomats also won the ground ball battle by a 20-11 margin while winning 12 of the 22 draws. Pittman collected a team-high four ground balls and was one of three Diplomats who caused multiple turnovers, joining Madison Bray and Sophia Geibel. Megan Bizub led all players with a game-high six draw controls. With the majority of the action taking place in the attacking zone, Alyssa Moran was called on to make just one save during the first half before Sara DiGiovanni took over the final 30 minutes in goal and added two more stops.

Last Time vs. McDaniel

Franklin & Marshall scored 16 straight goals during the first through third quarters in an eventual 19-3 win at McDaniel during the 2023 season. The Diplomats trailed 2-0 just over two minutes into the game, but that deficit did not last for long as the Green Terror scored just once during the final 57:11 of regulation time. Lydia Cassilly led the way with five goals and an assist, while Maddy Birch, Sydney Lowe, and Lauren Pittman all tallied multiple goals. With the help of her two goals, Maddy Birch eclipsed the 100 point mark for her collegiate career. Lucy Rogers and Amelia McCarthy both scored the first goals of their respective careers throughout the CC victory, with Sarah Bowyer, Madison Bray, Gillian Brennan, Lane Lambeth, Abby Gravel, and Sarah Delaney adding their name to the score sheet as well.

Last Time vs. Ursinus

The Diplomats showed off their national prowess last spring against the Bears, defeating Ursinus by a 23-4 score at home. F&M was up by double digits early in the second quarter and never looked back as it remained undefeated in Centennial Conference play. Fourteeen different Diplomats scored throughout the victory while 17 players registered at least one point. That group was highlighted by a career day from Gillian Brennan as she scored three goals and added four assists to reach the 100-point plateau for her career. Abby Gravel led the scoring efforts with four goals, while Lane Lambeth (three goals), Lydia Cassilly (two goals), and Sarah Delaney (two goals, one assist) all rattled the back of the cage multiple times. Franklin & Marshall was certainly precise in its shooting as the Diplomats scored on 23 of its 29 shots on goal.

Last Time vs. Salisbury

F&M fell in a hard-fought 10-8 battle versus then-No. Salisbury in a showdown of perennial Division III powers. The Diplomats scored three straight to open the fourth quarter as they tied the game at eight-all before the visiting Sea Gulls tallied twice in the final five-plus minutes for the top 10 victory. Maddy Birch finished with a hat trick as she scored the final two goals of F&M's comeback bid, knotting the game with just under 11 minutes to play. Lane Lambeth added two more goals on Sunday, while Lydia Cassilly had a goal and an assist. Alyssa Moran made a game-high 10 saves in goal as the Sea Gulls maintained a 31-26 edge in shots and a slight 12-10 edge in draw controls. F&M finished the contest with an 18-14 advantage in ground balls. Belle Dintino and Moran each came away with four ground balls for the Diplomats. Lambeth led F&M with four draw controls.

McDaniel Preview

McDaniel enters the week at 6-4 (1-1 CC). The Green Terror started Centennial Conference play with a 24-6 win against Bryn Mawr but suffered an 18-8 loss against Ursinus in their most recent conference matchup. Emma Miller has been the standout on attack with 48 goals, with Emma Legacy ranking second on the team with 25. Miller has also ammassed a team-leading 71 draw controls and is one of three Green Terror players with at least 30 DCs on the year. McDaniel goalie Caleigh Kohr is allowing just over 12 goals per game while the offense is averaging over 13 goals per game.

Ursinus Preview

Just like the Green Terror, Ursinus enters the upcoming week at 6-4 (1-1 CC) this season. The Bears earned their first Centennial Conference win of the season against the aforementioned Bears by an 18-8 score after dropping their conference opener by a 20-13 score against Washington College. Ursinus is averaging over 16 goals per game while allowing just 11.1 every 60 minutes. Maeve Leonzi (34g) and Grace Lynch (31g) are the team's two primary goal scorers while Ashley Noto has 33 points with 11 goals and a team-leading 22 assists this season. The Bears are basically even with their opponents in draw controls while causing 137 turnovers on the season, with eight different players already having double-digit totals in that category. Camille Hubbs has seen the majority of the starts in goal, with Charlotte Grahame making three starts. Combined, Ursinus is stopping just 31.1 percent of the shots on goal the team has faced.

Salisbury

The Sea Gulls are No. 4 in this week's IWLCA national poll, just one spot ahead of the No. 5 Diplomats. Salisbury owns wins against Washington and Lee, Washington College, Gettysburg, Messiah, and York (Pa.), falling only to Wesleyan and William Smith on the year. The Sea Gulls are nearly doubling up their opponents on average by scoring 14.18 goals per game while allowing just 7.18. Six players have double-digit goal totals this season, led by Leah Vilov's 27 on the year. Natalie Held is a defender to watch as she leads the team with 40 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers. Kaitlyn Hunsinger has started all 11 of Salisbury's games and is stopping over half the shots on goal she has faced while allowing just 8.11 goals per game.

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Points
5. Lydia Cassilly (46)
9. Lauren Pittman (43)

Goals
8. Gillian Brennan (31)
8. Lauren Pittman (31)

Assists
5. Lydia Cassilly (17)
7. Madison Bray (16)

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

Draw Controls
8. Lauren Pittman (41)

Goals Against Average
4. Alyssa Moran (9.83)

Saves
8. Alyssa Moran (45)