Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall field hockey team (7-5, 5-0 CC) enters week seven riding a six-game winning streak which dates back to September 20. In that span, the Diplomats have outscored their opponents 14-1 and registered five shutouts. Additionally, no team has taken more than five shots over the last six games. F&M has also gotten out to a 5-0 start in conference play, including a ranked win over No. 16 Bryn Mawr.

 11 separate Diplomats have scored this season, including five goals each from Jessica Miller and Hannah Fitzgerald. Four of Miller's five goals have gone down as game winners, three of which have occurred during the team's winning stretch. In goal, Meghan Dole has maintained a 0.93 GAA and made 45 saves. 

Last Week

F&M shutout both Gettysburg and Muhlenberg en route to a pair of home wins this past week. In Wednesday's defeat of the Bullets, Sophie Carroll put the Diplomats on the board in the second quarter, with an assist from Meg Karrat, for the game's lone goal. In the early minutes of the third period, Meg Karrat made a defensive save to keep the Bullets scoreless. Overall, the Mules took just five shots in the contest. 

F&M then eased past Muhlenberg, 3-0, behind goals from three different Diplomats. Following a foul which led to a penalty stroke for F&M, Annie Malatesta converted on the attempt for her first goal of the season. Carroll then scored her second goal in as many games to double the Diplomat advantage. Ella Page later found the back of the cage in the third quarter, which was also her first score of the year. 

Last Time vs. Ursinus 

In the first conference matchup of 2022, F&M knocked off No. 20 Ursinus in a 1-0 battle at Tylus Field. The game remained scoreless through the first three quarters, with the Diplomats outshooting the Bears, 11-5. However, with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, Darby Klopp scored an unassisted goal to put F&M over the top. Over the course of the tilt, each team was issued three cards, including a yellow card against Sarah Symes in the 59th minute. Katie Roper also made a defensive save in the third frame to help shutout Ursinus. 

Last Time vs. Haverford

Playings hosts to the Fords, the Diplomats dominated Haverford, 5-0 in 2022. Keira Boensch quickly put F&M on the board with a goal in the fourth minute before Sophie Carroll and Carolina Riley each scored in the second quarter. Carroll then found the back of the net again in the 32nd minute and was followed by Jessica Miller, who scored in the 35th minute. In addition to her two goals, Carroll also recorded an assist on Miller's score. Overall, the Diplomats outshot the Fords, 19-8, and put 13 shots on goal. 

Ursinus Team Preview

The Bears split their two games last week, defeating No. 25 Swarthmore 2-1, while falling to Washington College, 2-0.  The loss to the Shorewomen ended a three-game winning streak for Ursinus, who is now 7-4 and 3-2 in conference play. The team's only other loss to a Centennial opponent came in a 3-0 defeat to No. 3 Johns Hopkins on September 23. Similar to F&M, the Bears opened the season by playing five ranked teams in their non-conference slate. Ursinus managed to record wins over No. 18 TCNJ, No. 20 William Smith College and No. 23 Lynchburg, but suffered defeats to No. 3 Rowan and No. 5 Messiah. 

Haven given up 1.55 goals per game, Ursinus ranks sixth in the conference in scoring defense, as compared to a 1.00 GAA for F&M. On the offensive end, Mary Lauren Franz has scored six times this season for a team-high. Twice this season, Franz has tallied multi-goal games, both of which came against ranked opponents.  

Haverford Team Preview

Haverford was outscored 7-0 last week in losses to Washington College and No. 3 Johns Hopkins. It marked the third and fourth time the Fords were shutout this season as Haverford fell to 6-5 on the season and 1-3 in the conference. In its only other ranked tilt, Haverford outlasted No. 10 Rowan 4-3 on September 20 behind two-goal games from both Naomi York and Erica Pardón. After a strong performance in the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Fords have yet to fall below .500 on the season. Prior to facing F&M on Saturday, Haverford will first take on No. 23 Bryn Mawr on the road on Wednesday evening. 

Anna Bradley and Pardón have both found the back of the cage five times this season to lead the team in scoring, but defensively, the Fords have allowed 1.82 goals per game which ranks eighth in the conference.