Game Notes

Last week, the Diplomats opened their season with a 4-2 victory over Susquehanna before returning to home turf where they upset the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport 2-0. In the game against the River Hawks, F&M more than doubled SU's shots, 20-9. F&M had four different players score in the match (Jessica Miller, Carolina Riley, Faith DiMantova, and Molly Paulsen). Maddie Bickel, Sophie Carroll, and Riley all recorded assists in the game. The Diplomats drew a total of 18 penalty corners in the match, which F&M worked a goal on two of the opportunities.

F&M had a tough task facing them Sunday morning when it played 16th-ranked Christopher Newport. A combination of a strong defensive stand and capitalizing on offensive opportunities allowed the Diplomats to earn the victory and the 2-0 shutout. Kiera Boensch was a huge force on the offensive end as she tallied an assist and a goal in the match. Boensch's crossing pass found the stick of Sophie Carroll, who buried it into the back of the net to put the Diplomats up 1-0 with 8:12 left in the first quarter. Coming out of the halftime break, an F&M offensive push led to a shot in front of the CNU net by Boensch that bounced through the defense and into the net. Goalkeeper Jorja Pastore only had to make three saves to earn her second win of the season.

On Wednesday, the Diplomats will take on eighth-ranked Messiah. The last time F&M field hockey defeated a team ranked in the top-10 was in the 2019 NCAA Final Four where it defeated fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins 3-1 to advance to the National Championship.