Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall women's soccer team will welcome Penn State Harrisburg to Tylus Field on Wednesday night before returning to Centennial Conference action at McDaniel on Saturday. The Diplomats will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season on Saturday versus Swarthmore. Nevertheless, the Diplomats did find themselves in the top 25 poll for just the second season in program history last week and are off to a 2-1 start in Centennial Conference action.

Last Week

The Diplomats moved to 2-0 in the Centennial Conference with a convincing 5-0 victory over Haverford last Wednesday. Mikaela Timmermans, Kat Tandler, Bri Skidmore, Alex Wilson, and Emily Cook gave the Diplomats five different goal scorers in the match. Timmermans added an assist for a team-high three points, with Sophie Koziol, Kate Boujoukos, and Lillian Williams adding helpers throughoput the victory. Lucille Fleming recorded the shutout as she made three saves while the Diplomats held a 16-9 overall edge in shots. Swarthmore ended F&M's undefeated start to the season with a goal just 5:59 into last Saturday's CC matchup before adding an insurance tally with just under five minutes to play. The Garnet finished with a 13-9 advantage in shots, but the Diplomats were able to stay within striking distance during most of the match thanks to seven saves from Fleming.

Timmermans is currently leading the Diplomats with 10 points, scored three goals and adding a team-high four assists. Bri Skidmore has a team-leading four goals and is tied for second on the team in points with Alison Francis (3g, 2a). Lillian Williams has two goals to her credit this season, with both of those efforts being game-winning goals. Lucille Fleming has handled all of the goalkeeping duties and anchors a defense that has four shutouts through its first seven games and is allowing just 0.57 goals per game overall.

Last Time vs. Penn State Harrisburg

F&M is 2-0 all-time against the Nittany Lions, with the previous meetings coming in 2016 and 2022. During last year's matchup, it was a goal from Meg O'Callahan '23 that proved to be the difference in the 1-0 final. The lone goal of that non-conference match came during the 27th minute of play. That victory was also the fifth straight shutout for the Diplomats who were the No. 23-ranked team in the country going into that match. Despite just one goal on the night, the Diplomats threatened throughout with an 11-3 advantage in shots. However, eight saves from the Lions' keeper kept F&M from extending its lead. In addition to the shots advantage, the Diplomats earned a 6-1 edge in corner kicks throughout the contest. While the F&M offense was peppering the PSU Harrisburg defense, that left just two saves that were needed from Emma Nolan.

Last Time vs. McDaniel

The last three matches between the Diplomats and Green Terror have resulted in deadlock draws. However, two of those matchups have come in the Centennial Conference Tournament where the Green Terror were ultimately able to win in the shutout. Franklin & Marshall made its first-ever Centennial Conference Championship appearance against McDaniel in 2021, falling 5-4 in penalty kicks. After a scoreless draw in the regular season meeting last fall, the Green Terror came away with a 4-3 edge in penalty kicks during the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament. F&M held the 8-5 advantage in shots during the 2022 postseason meeting. The Diplomats tied the game with 9:11 to play in regulation as Kate Boujoukos finished a feed from Sierra Brophy. The Diplomats had the only three shots of the overtime period, but it was the Green Terror who advanced following the penalty shootout that needed six rounds before being decided.

Penn State Harrisburg Preview

Penn State Harrisburg enters the match at 4-3-1 on the season, including a 2-0 win against fellow Centennial Conference school Bryn Mawr. The Nittany Lions are coming off of a 12-0 win against Gallaudet which is largely responsible for the team's 17-6 advantage in goals over its opponents this fall. PSU Harrisburg has shutout its opponents during each of its five results. Serenity Hill has scored a team-leading four goals, while Katelyn Monette is one of three players with two more goals this season. Monette has added three assists to her totals to rank second on the team with seven points. Katherine Eimer and Sydney Mulka have split the starts in goal as Mulka has seen more minutes, but Eimer is allowing just 0.36 goals per game.

McDaniel Team Preview

The Green Terror enter the week at 4-2-2 on the season, including a 1-1-1 mark in Centennial Conference play. They will travel to Elizabethtown on Wednesday in non-conference action before hosting the Diplomats on Saturday. The big result on the Green Terror's early schedule was the 1-0 victory over No. 1 Messiah to head into conference action. In CC play, the Green Terror are coming off a 3-0 win against Bryn Mawr in their most recent match. They also have a scoreless draw with Ursinus, but fell 1-0 at Gettysburg. Goals have been at a premium as the Green Terror concede just 0.38 goals per game, but score just 0.68 goals on average. The defense has recorded five shutouts behind goalie Lauren Hoolahan, but the offense has been blanked on four occasions. Seven different players have accounted for McDaniel's seven goals this season.

Among the Best

With this week's nationall rankings not yet released, both the Franklin & Marshall men's and women's soccer programs are one of only eight programs that have both their men's and women's team ranked inside the top 25 of the national polls.