Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall field hockey team (3-5, 1-0 CC) will put its two-game winning streak on the line this week with a pair of Centennial Conference road matchups. The Red Devils were one of the hottest teams in the Centennial Conference at the close of last season, just missing a playoff spot. However, they are matching the Diplomats with a 1-0 start to conference play. The match against Bryn Mawr will be a rematch of last year's Centennial Conference Tournament semifinals where the Owls emerged with a 3-2 overtime victory.

Last Week

The Diplomats had the strongest strength of schedule in the country according to FieldHockeyCorner.com entering this past week, falling by a single goal in four of their first five defeats. Undettered, Franklin & Marshall bounced back last week with wins against Alvernia and Washington College. First-year Caitlin Hoover recorded a hat trick for the Diplomats during the 5-0 win against Alvernia, with Jessica Miller and Avery Niedland also tallying throughout the victory. Miller, who also tallied the game-winner against the Golden Wolves, got her conference season off to a strong start as she tallied both of F&M's goals during the 2-1 win against Washington College. The game got off to a furious start as F&M scored just 4:34 into the contest before WAC tied the game during the 18th minute of play. However, Miller needed just 70 seconds to answer that lone goal for the Shorewomen before the F&M defense made that final score stand up.

Last Time vs. Dickinson

Jessica Miller led the Diplomats to a 4-0 victory when these teams met during the 2022 season. Miller got the scoring started just five minutes in the game off a feed from Darby Klopp that she sent into the bottom-right corner of the net. Miller also scored with three minutes left in the game after capitalizing on a loose ball in front of the net. Those tallies give her four goals over a three-game span and she appears to be hitting her stride again during the 2023 season. Sophie Carroll and Grace Fass also scored for the Diplomats on that day as Franklin & Marshall finished with a 20-4 advantage in shots against the Red Devils.

Last Time vs. Bryn Mawr

Franklin & Marshall will be looking to avenge its 3-2 double overtime loss against the Owls when these teams meet on Saturday. During that postseason matchup against the teams who finished second and third in the 2022 Centennial Conference field hockey standings, the Owls scored twice in the first half to claim a 2-0 lead. Needing at least two goals with just over eight minutes to play, Sophie Carroll scored the first of those goals. Klopp then added the game-tying goal just under two minutes later to send the game into overtime. However, the Owls had the final say as they scored 13:30 into the extra time. F&M had a commanding 14-6 edge in penalty corners, with a 15-13 edge in shots. That score matched the regular season tally, except that 2022 matchup went to the Diplomats who raced out to a 3-0 lead on goals from Grace Fass, Avery Niedland, and Darby Klopp before holding off a fourth quarter surge from the Owls.

Dickinson Team Preview

Dickinson is led by second-year head coach Jenn Hanks who was an assistant with the Diplomats from 2016-18, helping the Diplomats capture one conference crown while making three trips to the NCAAA Tournament. The staff also features Erin McCormick (Coverdale '20) who was an All-American for the Diplomats. Like F&M, Dickinson has challenged itself early as all four of its defeats have come to nationally-ranked opponents. Sitting at 3-4 overall (1-0 CC), Abby Marthins is the team's leading scorer with four goals and two assists. She is one of four players with multiple goals on the season as the Red Devils are scoring and allowing the exact same 1.98 goals per game. Goalie Olivia Renault has started all seven games and is stopping 66.7 percent of the shots she has faced.

Bryn Mawr

After falling in double overtime to eventual champion Johns Hopkins in the 2022 Centennial Conference Championship, Bryn Mawr started its 2023 campaign with five consecutive victories. However, the Owls enter this week on a two-game losing skid with losses to No. 7 Williams and No. 9 Christopher Newport. Bryn Mawr will first have a chance to bounce back Wednesday versus Swarthmore before the Diplomats come to town on Saturday. Returning All-American Hazel Miller has played in just one game for the Owls this season, leaving Sophie Vagts (5 g) and Izzy Robinson-Cloete (4 g) to handle the scoring load for the Owls. Bryn Mawr is averaging 2.73 goals per game while allowing just 1.36 per contest as Charlene Basque has taken over the goalie duties for the Owls. She allowed just two goals through the first five matches before the nationally-ranked foes combined for eight during BMC's two most recent outings.