Release courtesy of Franklin & Marshall Athletic Communications
LANCASTER, Pa. – A pair of goals from Erin Coverdale broke the program's career record that stood since 1978 and helped lift Franklin & Marshall's No. 6 ranked field hockey team to a 4-1 win over Hartwick in the NCAA First Round on Wednesday evening in Lancaster.
The Diplomats improved to 17-3 on the year while Hartwick dropped to 13-7. F&M advanced to Saturday's Sweet 16 matchup in Ewing, N.J. where the Diplomats are set to battle No. 1 TCNJ at 10:00 a.m.
Coverdale's two scores brought her career total up to 54, passing Laura Kramedas ' 79 for first on the F&M all-time list.
Despite out-shooting Hartwick by an 8-0 margin, the Diplomats went scoreless in the first quarter. F&M was able to breakthrough in the 28th minute of play. Caitlin Morrissey found Lily Mynott on a through ball. The junior forward's shot was deflected by the Hawks' goalkeeper, finding the back of the cage to give the Diplomats a 1-0 lead.
Just over a minute later, F&M picked up another score off of a shot by Erin Coverdale. Mynott slid a pass through the Harwick defense that Coverdale hit to the left side of the cage, sending the Diplomats into the break with a 2-0 edge.
F&M came out firing in the third and made it a 3-0 game in the 32nd. Gula caused a turnover deep in the Hawks' defensive third and launched a shot on cage that was tipped in underneath by Lily Mynott for her 23rd of the season.
The Hawks got one back early in the fourth quarter. Initiated by a penalty corner, Allyson Quirk accepted a Sydney Gagnon pass, blasting the ball to the center of the goal to cut the deficit to 3-1.
F&M was quick to respond. Coverdale took a cross from Darby Klopp on the right side, one-timing the ball into the right side of the cage in the 51st for the historic score.
Goalkeeper Christina Seery recorded two saves in 58 minutes to improve to 17-2 on the year. Sydney Lippe entered the game late in the fourth but didn't face a shot through her two minutes of play.
Shots favored F&M by a staggering 43-4 margin – a record for a Centennial Conference (CC) school. Corners were also heavily in the Diplomats favor at 19-2. Coverdale paced the effort with 20 shots, followed by Mynott with nine and Gula with six.