Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall Field Hockey team (9-5, 7-0 CC) has continued to stay hot, winning two more conference matchups to stay atop the Centennial standings. After their win over No. 18 Ursinus, the Diplomats improved to 2-4 in ranked matchups. 

Now on an eight-game winning streak, F&M has outscored its opponents 20-2 while pitching six shutouts over that span. On the season, just three teams have outshot the Diplomats, and only one opposing side has tallied over 10 shots since September 20. Meanwhile, F&M has taken double-digit shots in all but three of their tilts. Nationally, the Diplomats rank eighth in shutouts on the season while Meghan Dole is ninth in the country with a save percentage of 0.849. 

Last Week

F&M knocked off No. 18 Ursinus in a penalty shootout on Wednesday night before dominating Haverford, 4-0 on Saturday afternoon. With a win over the Fords, the Diplomats clinched a spot in the Centennial Conference tournament, marking back-to-back years of postseason play for F&M.   

In their win over the Bears, Kat Study put the Diplomats ahead in the second quarter, but with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Gigi Testa evened the score and sent the game into overtime. In the two extra periods that followed, Ursinus outshot F&M 6-3, but neither team was able to find the back of the cage, leading to a penalty shootout. The Diplomats then converted on all four of their attempts, while Meghan Dole stopped two shots by the Bears, as F&M hung on to the win. 

On Saturday, the Diplomats got out to a quick start against Haverford, going up 2-0 in the first four minutes thanks to back-to-back goals by Keira Boensch and Darby Klopp. After neither team scored in the following 38 minutes, Sophie Carroll added a third goal with an assist from Avery Niedland. With 55 seconds left in the game, Grace Fass scored one final time for F&M after being assisted by Klopp.  

Last Time vs. Swarthmore 

With a home meeting in 2022, the Diplomats eased past the Garnet, 3-1, behind goals from three different players. Within the first quarter, Jessica Miller put F&M up 1-0 before Grace Fass extended the lead with a goal of her own. Elizabeth Zack managed to cut the deficit in half after she found the back of the net in the 24th minute, but less than nine minutes into the second half, Carolina Riley scored an unassisted goal for added insurance. 

Miller led the team with seven total shots, including six on goal, while Sydney Lippe made five saves in goal.

Swarthmore Team Preview

Swarthmore closed out its non-conference slate with a 2-1, overtime loss to the No. 11 University of Lynchburg on Sunday afternoon. Earlier in the week, the Garnet defeated Muhlenberg, 2-1 to improve to 5-1 in the Centennial. Swarthmore has now played five ranked teams this season, with its lone win coming against No. 16 Bryn Mawr on September 27. 

After starting 0-2 on the year, the Garnet won seven straight contests before splitting its last four matchups. Following a 4-2 win over Dickinson on September 30, Swarthmore made its way into the top 25, and improved to 24th in the nation just a week later. Sophia Hitchingham has led the offensive efforts for the Garnet this season with a team-high seven goals in addition to two assists. In goal, Cassandra Conklin has allowed 16 goals on 54 shots faced while shutting out four teams. In the last five games, however, the opposition has scored at least two goals on three occasions.