Game Notes

Last Time Out

Playing at Washington College, the No. 10 Diplomats were up 12-4 after just 15 minutes and never looked back as they improved to 5-0 in Centennial Conference action. Following up their highest scoring quarter of the year in the first, the Diplomats added nine more goals over the final three quarters during an eventual 21-10 victory. F&M has now won each of its first five CC matchups by at least 10 goals. Lauren Pittman had the monster game Saturday in Maryland as she scored six goals, but also saw teammates Maddy Birch, Lydia Cassilly, and Gillian Brennan register hat tricks during the conference win. Cassilly and Brennan both added two assists to finish with five points, while Lane Lambeth and Sydney Lowe tallied twice throughout the victory. Abby Gravel and Sarah Delaney tallied singular goals, with Liv Cooper, Devyn Crone, and Megan Bizub recording additional points following their assists.

Franklin & Marshall's goalies were called on to make just three saves on the afternoon. Alyssa Moran made two of those saves to register her 10th victory of the season before Molly Donatelli made one final stop over the final 18-plus minutes of regulation.

Last Time vs. Gettysburg

The Diplomats have played the Bullets in the Centennial Conference Tournament Championship game 17 times in program history since 2003. The Diplomats have won seven of those contests, but it has been the Bullets who have won the last three championship matches. Also during the time was the Diplomats' win during the 2021 season where the game was not officially a conference championship, but served as the de facto championship with both of those teams coming into the game with undefeated records.

During last year's championship, a first quarter deficit proved too much for Franklin & Marshall to overcome as the Bullets won the title by an 8-5 score. The Bullets led 5-2 after the first quarter behind a stifling defense before holding on for the conference title. Gettysburg finished the contest with a 13-4 advantage in draw controls as the Diplomats' defending duties were made even more difficult by the team not being able to secure a draw during the final three quarters of game action. Marino first knotted game at one-all just 28 seconds after the Bullets scored, but Gettysburg ran off three goals in a span of just 1:10 for a lead they would not relinquish. McGarrey broke that run at the 8:15 mark to cap a high-paced opening seven minutes before both defenses started to impose their will.

Last Time vs. Haverford

Both of the Diplomats' games this week will be a rematch of their Centennial Conference playoff opponents from a season ago. The Fords were just recently handed their first conference loss of the season against Gettysburg last week. F&M won an 11-9 battle against the Fords in the 2023 CC semifinals. Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, and Haverford all advanced to the NCAA Tournament last spring, marking the first time in conference history that the Centennial was represented by three teams.

In last year's semifinal, the Diplomats were trailing 9-7 entering the final quarter. Undeterred, F&M scored the final four goals of the afternoon and advanced to the Centennial Conference Championship game with a hard-fought 11-9 victory over the Fords. Franklin & Marshall finished the game with a 32-19 advantage in shots and a 23-16 edge in ground balls. However, eight saves from the Fords,' including three stops during the first and third quarters, kept Haverford in the contest. Haverford did own a 14-9 advantage in draw controls. Mary Pat McKenna led F&M's defensive efforts with four caused turnovers. Erin Phillips and Marino each forced the Fords into a pair of giveaways. That defensive pressure led to 24 Haverford turnovers as the Diplomats held their opponents to just 16-of-27 on clearing attempts.

Gettysburg Preview

Led by reigning IWLCA National Player of the Week Jordan Basso, the Bullets are 10-3 on the seaosn and match F&M's 5-0 record in conference play. Basso leads the No. 8 Bullets with 73 points (45 goals and 28 assists). Emily Crane, Julia Daly, and Katie Fullowan also have at least 25 goals on the season, while Caroline Sullivan is second on the team with 27 assists in additon to her 18 goals. The Bullets have won 197 draw controls while losing just 143 as Lily Macatee leads that category with 68 on the season. Gettysburg has also caused 126 turnovers and has four defenders with double digit CTs on the year. Opponents are successful on just 75 percent of their clears against the Bullets. Goalie Gillian Cortese is allowing just 7.89 goals per game and is stopping nearly 45 percent of the shots that she faces. Messiah, a team that F&M has defeated, beat the Bullets earlier this season. Both teams came up on the wrong side of scores against Salisbury and Washington and Lee.

Haverford Preview

The Fords are currently 8-4 on the year and hold a 4-1 record in Centennial Conference play after their 19-13 loss against Gettysburg last weekend. Haverford also dropped a non-conference game to York (Pa.) by a 16-9 score. The Diplomats topped the Spartans earlier in the season during a thrilling 12-10 final. The Fords three leading scorers are Tiffany Mikulis (43 goals), Sam Silverman (34 goals), and Katharine Ferrence (33 goals). Ferrence and Silverman are also the top two assist producers, with 23 and 21, respectively. Opponents have the slight edge in draw controls over the Fords, 103-95. Goalie Annie Bravacos has started all but one game this season and is allowing 12.66 goals per game and stopping 36.9 percent of the shots she faces.

F&M Individuals in Centennial Conference Top 10

Points
10. Lydia Cassilly - 44

Goals
6. Lydia Cassilly - 35

Assists
8. Gillian Brennan - 17
9. Madison Bray - 16

Ground Balls
7. Belle Dintino - 27

Caused Turnovers
2. Belle Dintino - 20

Goals Against Average
2. Alyssa Moran - 9.20

Save Percentage
2. Alyssa Moran - 45.7%

Wins
1. Alyssa Moran - 10