LANCASTER, Pa. – A second-half goal from Lauren Eastman broke a tied score, and made up for a first half of missed opportunities, as the No. 6 Franklin & Marshall field hockey team hung on for the 2-1 victory over Muhlenberg on Saturday afternoon at Tylus Field.
The Centennial Conference (CC) win brought the Diplomats' record to 13-1, 6-1 CC on the year, while the Mules fell to 9-3, 5-2 CC.
With the contest knotted in the 53rd minute of the game, a long F&M try on net was deflected twice on its way to the cage, first by Megan Kelly and again by Eastman, to hand the Diplomats a late one-goal advantage.
F&M's defense took over from there, not allowing a shot on goal through the remaining 17 minutes of action.
In the first, Juliet Dalton got the scoring underway in the 11th minute, when a penalty corner led to a pass from Clare Wirth at the top of the circle to a waiting Dalton underneath, who tapped the ball into the right side of the cage for her sixth tally of the season.
Muhlenberg responded in the 27th when Kayleigh Thies ripped a shot on goal that Allie Morey initially stopped, but the Mules' Rachel Stow was there for the put back to tie the contest at 1-1.
A pair of penalty-stroke opportunities in the first could have put the game out of reach in the opening stanza, but F&M was unable to capitalize on either try. Maria Guarisco had the first scoring chance just over a minute into action, but careened a shot off the post. Mary Kate Olson was granted the second opportunity in the 32nd minute of the frame, but Muhlenberg's goalkeeper Sierra Lenker was there for the timely stop.
Morey (13-1) turned back four shots in 70 minutes to earn the win, while Lenker (9-3) registered an impressive seven saves despite being dealt the loss.
The Diplomats held a narrow 12-8 edge in shots entering the break but completely dominated by an 8-0 margin in the second. An advantage on penalty corners also belonged to F&M at a 12-9 margin, including a 6-1 edge in the second half.
CC play continues for the Diplomats next Saturday, when F&M celebrates homecoming by welcoming Washington College to town for a 12 p.m. showdown. The contest will mark the last regular-season home game for the Diplomats and the six seniors that dot their roster.