Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall field hockey team (10-8, 6-4 CC) enters the Centennial Conference tournament for the third consecutive season and begins the tournament as the fourth seed. They earned a 2-0 win against the conference's fifth seed, Haverford, on Tuesday night. The Diplomats now face second-seed #16 Ursinus in Collegeville on Thursday, November 7.

Last Week

Franklin & Marshall ended the regular season with a 1-1 record in Centennial Conference competition. They started with a 4-0 away win at McDaniel College, while they lost 1-0 via a penalty stroke hosting #5 Johns Hopkins on Saturday. Caitlin Hoover had two goals in the win over McDaniel, while Hannah Fitzgerald and Annie Malatesta each had one goal. The trio of Meghan Dole, Sydney Kuehn, and Jorja Pastore split time in the cage, totaling five saves in a shutout. The win secured the Diplomats' place in this week's conference tournament. Despite being outshot 22-6 on the day, the only goal in the loss to Johns Hopkins came via a third-quarter penalty stroke, as Dole made a season-high 11 saves on 12 chances. 

Last Time vs. Haverford

In this season's regular season trip to Haverford, the Diplomats broke a 1-1 stalemate with three goals in the final six minutes for a 4-1 victory over the Fords. Jessica Miller, Hoover, Fitzgerald, and Caroline Roschen each scored. Miller got F&M on the board eight minutes into the game to give the Diplomats a 1-0 halftime lead. Haverford was rapid in transition to find a game-tying goal in the third quarter. With six minutes to go, Hoover and Fitzgerald made the game 3-1, while Roschen converted a penalty stroke in the last minute of regulation. Dole made four saves, including a penalty stroke save in the fourth minute that kept the game tied at 0-0.

Haverford Team Preview

The Fords fought off playoff elimination in both of their Centennial Conference games last week, earning two shootout wins on the road to secure the fifth seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs. On Wednesday, they defeated Muhlenberg 2-1 (4-2 Shootout), while they won 1-0 (2-1 shootout) against #24 Swarthmore on Saturday. Against Muhlenberg, Haverford's Erica Pardón tied the game at 1-1 to eventually send the game to overtime. First-year goalkeeper Steph Ionescu stepped into the cage for the penalty shootout and made a pair of saves in a 4-2 shootout win, with Rachel Martin scoring the fourth, deciding goal. Haverford overcame a 16-3 shot deficit and 18-3 penalty corner deficit in the win over Swarthmore. Mary Smith made six saves in regulation, with Ionescu again being put in goal for the shootout. She made three saves in the shootout and Carolina Sanchez scored the clinching goal. Smith tied for the most shutouts (5) among Centennial goalkeepers. Pardón led the team in points with 18 (7 G, 4 A) in the regular season. 

Last Time vs. Ursinus

In this season's regular season contest against the Bears, then ranked #17,  Ursinus earned a 2-1 win in Lancaster. Ursinus outshot F&M 7-0 in the first half, and got on the scoreboard via an errant pass and high pressing in the 25th minute. Their second goal came 90 seconds into the second half on a close-range shot following a penalty corner. Hoover scored four minutes later, as she won the ball off a high press, beat a couple of defenders, and shot past the keeper at the near post. F&M were unable to tie the game despite four penalty corners and three shots in the remaining time. Dole saved 11 of the 13 shots she faced, which is tied for a season-high for her. 

Ursinus Team Preview

The #16 Bears enter the Centennial Conference tournament as the second seed, following a 12-5, 8-2 CC regular season. Ursinus was 1-1 last week to conclude the regular season. Their conference finale against #12 Bryn Mawr last Wednesday earned the Bears a 2-1 win with goals from Mary Lauren Franz and Marie Brainard. Ursinus then saw an eight-game winning streak come to a close on Saturday, as they capped the regular season in a 2-1 (4-2 Shootout) loss at #23 Ithaca. They lead the conference in goals per game (3.1). Mary Lauren Franz leads the Centennial in goals (15) and points (35), while Adriana Palladinetti is third in save percentage (.811) and fourth in goals allowed averaged (1.22). They seek the program's 13th Centennial Conference Championship, last earning the title in 2016. 

Centennial Conference Leaders from Franklin & Marshall (Top 10)

Goals
T8. Caitlin Hoover (9)

Assists
T5. Caitlin Hoover (5)

Points
7. Caitlin Hoover (23 via 9 G, 5 A)

Game-Winning Goals
T8. Annie Malatesta (2)
T8. Caitlin Hoover (2)

Shots on Goal
6. Caitlin Hoover (33)

Shots
9. Caitlin Hoover (46)

Defensive Saves
T1. Kat Thistlewaite (5)
T5. Annie Malatesta (4)

Goals Against Average
3. Meghan Dole (1.16)

Shutouts
1. Meghan Dole (6)

Save Percentage
1. Meghan Dole (.815)

Saves per Game
5. Meghan Dole (4.89)