NCAA Tournament
Sweet 16/Elite 8

 

NCAA Tournament Central

Opening Weekend Schedule

Sweet 16
Saturday: 1 p.m. (#8 F&M vs. (RV) Denison)
Saturday: 4 p.m. (#18  Pomona-Pitzer vs. #21 Kenyon)

Elite 8
Sunday: 2:30 p.m. (Saturday winners)

First Meeting:  April 11, 1991 (F&M won 11-7) - Elite 8
Series Record: F&M leads 4-0
Streak: F&M +4
Last 10:  4-0
Last F&M Victory: March 16, 2022 (F&M won 20-10)
Last Kenyon Victory: N/A

Denison Information

F&M doubled up Denison during its spring break trip last season.

First Meeting:  N/A
Series Record: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last 10:  N/A
Last F&M Victory: N/A
Last Pomona-Pitzer Victory: N/A

Pomona-Pitzer Information

F&M and Pomona-Pitzer would be meeting for the first time in program history.

First Meeting:  March 13, 1997 (F&M won 16-3)
Series Record: F&M leads 1-0
Streak: F&M +1
Last 10:  1-0
Last F&M Victory: March 13, 1997 (F&M won 16-3)
Last Kenyon Victory: N/A

Kenyon Information

F&M would be playing Kenyon for the first time in nearly 25 years

Game Notes

Last Time Out

The No. 8 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team moved on to the Sweet 16 following  a 16-14 win against No. 16 Roanoke as the Diplomats hosted the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Diplomats were up 9-3 at the half on the strength of a 7-1 advantage during the second quarter. That lead grew to 14-7 at the end of the third before Roanoke's big fourth quarter ended in a 16-14 final in F&M's favor.

Nine different Diplomats scored during the win, featuring a game-best six points from Lydia Cassilly (4g, 2a). Lauren Pittman added a hat trick with three goals and an assist, with Sydney Lowe adding five points on two goals and three assists. Gillian Brennan also scored twice in the win, while Madison Bray, Maddy Birch Adde Hollander, Kate McLam, and Sarah Delaney all added their names to the score sheet.

The Diplomats held substantial advantages in shots (37-22) and draw controls (21-12), while also leading in ground balls (17-11), but 15 saves from the Maroons' Kyleigh Chickering kept her side in the game for the comeback bid during the final period. Bray led the draw control efforts with seven on the afternoon, with teammates Lane Lambeth and Bizub each collecting five more. F&M also grabbed a number of extra possessions in transition as the Diplomats held Roanoke to 13-of-20 on its clear attempts. Eight different Diplomats caused a turnover throughout Sunday's victory.

Last Time vs. Denison

During the opening game of the 2022 Spring Break trip, F&M ultimately jumped out to a 7-1 lead on the strength of an eight-goal outburst in the second quarter. It then scored four straight to finish off the Big Red.

After a late Denison goal to end the first quarter, F&M rolled off three more tallies in less than four minutes to extend the Diplomat edge to 7-1. Maddy Birch scored the first, assisted on Ally Marino's, then Ally Marino went unassisted with 11:23 remaining in the half.

F&M dominated the fourth quarter to pull away for good, as McLam, Bridget Kane, Brennan, Sarah Delaney, and Gravel all tickled twine to give F&M a comfortable 20-10 victory. The Diplomats dominated the shot totals (41-26), while holding edges in ground balls (12-9), and clearing 19 of 20 attempts.

Last Time vs. Pomona-Pitzer

Franklin & Marshall would be meeting for the first time in program history should these teams meet in the Elite Eight.

Last Time vs. Kenyon

Franklin & Marshall dominated Kenyon by a 16-3 score. That match took place in Panama City, Flordia during the 1997 season.

Denison Preview

Denison comes into the match at 11-10 overall and currently receiving votes in the IWLCA National Poll. The Big Red have a number of common opponents with Franklin & Marshall. Those included Roanoke losses to Roanoke, Gettysburg, Dickinson, and Salisbury. However, the Big Red have come on strong by winning the automatic qualifier with a 14-8 win against Kenyon and back-to-back wins against Hope and Chicago during the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.  during the opening part of the season. Josie Lucchesi leads Denison with 42 goals, while Allaire Kotz is the team leader in points with 38 goals and 20 assists. Caroline O'Dea has started all 21 games in goal and is stopping over 46 percent of the shots that she has faced.

Pomona-Pitzer Preview

Pomona-Pitzer has lost just once all season, falling only to Wesleyan (Conn.) by a 14-6 score in March. The Sage Hens played Haverford and won by an 18-11 margin in the only matchup of common opponents. Pomona-Pitzer rolled to a 24-7 win against George Fox during the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Fiona Lewis has scored 68 goals, while Sydney Landauer has 117 points with 65 goals and 52 assists. The Sage Hens have dominated the draw controls with a 382-235 advantage on the year. Three different goalies have started a game with the team posting a 40.6 save percentage while allowing just 6.28 goals per game.

Kenyon Preview

Kenyon earned an at-large bid after losing just once all season. That lone setback was a 14-8 final against Denison in the championship game of the NCAC Tournament. The Owls bounced back with an 18-9 win over DePauw to earn hosting rights for this weekend's tournament. Caroline O'Neil's 60 goals and 20 assists have her at a team-high 80 points, with three other players who have scored at least 30 goals. Kenyon holds a 295-211 advantage in draw controls on the year and is outscoring opponents by just under 10 goals per game on the season. Starting goalie Nola Garand is stopping nearly 48 percent of the shots she has faced this season.

F&M All-Conference & RegionPerformers

First-team All-CC
Maddy Birch: Birch is third on the team in goals (36), assists (17), and points (53), earning first-team honors for the first time during her career.
Lydia Cassilly: Notched her second straight first-team honors after being named CC Rookie of the Year in 2022. Cassilly leads F&M in goals (48) and points (66).
Lane Lambeth: Ranks second on the team in draw controls (42), adding 33 goals, 23 ground balls, and 12 caused turnovers this spring.
Belle Dintino: First-team All-CC as a first-year. She leads the Diplomats in caused turnovers (26) and ground balls (35).

Second-team
Madison Bray: Second straight all-conference season. Bray leads F&M with 75 draw controls while ranking second in assists.

Honorable mention
Gillian Brennan: The Centennial Conference Tournament MVP leads the team with 23 assists.
Lauren Pittman: All-CC as a first-year after scoring 46 goals and registering 61 points. She also has 15 assists, 18 ground balls, and seven caused turnovers.

Franklin & Marshall Ranks in Division III as a team
37. Clearing Percentage (84.9%)
47. Assists Per Game (6.80)
49. Points per game (21.45)
51. Scoring Margin (+5.25)
57. Scoring offense (14.65)
60. Shots per game (31.40)