LEXINGTON, VA - Maggie Speasmaker scored an unassisted goal with 23 seconds left on the game as the #20 ranked Washington & Lee University Generals upset #14 Franklin & Marshall College 9-8 in non-conference women's lacrosse.

Leading 4-3 at halftime, the Diplomats (1-0, 0-0 Centennial Conference) pushed the margin to 5-3 at the 33:10 mark as Alexis O'Meara (Sr., Annapolis, MD/Severn School) beat W&L goalie Sarah Tilbor for an unassisted goal.

However, the Generals (2-1, 0-0 Old Dominion Athletic Conference) countered as Maggie Megear scored an unassisted goal at 37:35, Kelly Evans found the back of the net with an unassisted score at 38:04 and Christine Bender finished a pass from Avery Lovejoy at 44:02 to put Washington & Lee in front 6-5.

Franklin & Marshall tied the score as Kiki Foster (Jr., Denver, CO/Kent Denver) put home a free position shot at 46:53 and assisted on a goal by Alexis O'Meara at 48:03 to put the Diplomats back into the lead at 7-6.

However, W&L responded with back-to-back goals by Bender as she scored on a free position shot at 50:47 and buried a feed from Natalya Hoobchaak at 52:13 as the Generals retook the lead at 8-7 with 7:47 left to play.

Brenna Dolphin (So., Wilmington, DE/Archmere Academy) rallied the Diplomats with a score off a free position shot at 54:17 to tie the score, but Speasmaker netted the deciding goal at 59:37 for the 9-8 final score.

In the first half, the Diplomats jumped out to an early lead as Allison O'Meara (Sr., Annapolis, MD/Severn School) ripped an unassisted goal into the twine at 2:32 for a 1-0 lead.

The Generals took the lead with back-to-back goals at 3:31 and 4:50 as Kelly Evans scored off an assist by Hoobchaak and Lovejoy tallied an unassisted goal, respectively.

Franklin & Marshall then took over the game as Alexis O'Meara registered an unassisted goal at 7:11 and Foster buried free position shots at 5:39 and 17:21 for a 4-2 lead. W&L closed out the first half as Amanda Strickler fired in an unassisted goal at 19:27 for a 4-3 score at the break.

For the Diplomats, Foster and Alexis O'Meara finished with hat-tricks as both tallied three goals, while Dolphin and Allison O'Meara both found the back of the net once.

Bender led Washington & Lee with three goals, while Evans added two goals in the victory.

In goal, Kim Pleasants (So., Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) notched eight saves with nine goals allowed off 21 shots, while W&L's Tilbor stopped nine of F&M's 19 shots with eight goals allowed.

The loss drops F&M to 4-3 all-time against Washington & Lee as the Generals have a two-game winning streak against Franklin & Marshall following a 10-9 comeback win in Lancaster on March 13, 2004.

Franklin & Marshall (0-1, 0-0 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on March 7 at Muhlenberg College in the Diplomats' 2005 Centennial Conference season opener. Game time is set for 5:00 p.m.

Score by Half 1-2 - Final
#14 Franklin & Marshall (0-1) 4-4 - 8
#20 Washington & Lee (1-1) 3-6 - 9

Goals:
Franklin & Marshall: Kiki Foster (3), Alexis O'Meara (3), Brenna Dolphin (1), Allison O'Meara (1)

Washington & Lee: Christine Bender (3), Kelly Evans (2), Avery Lovejoy (1), Maggie Speasmaker (1), Amanda Strickler (1), Maggie Megear (1)

Assists:
Franklin & Marshall: Kiki Foster (1)

Washington & Lee: Natalya Hoobchaak (2), Avery Lovejoy (1)

Shots: F&M 19, W&L 21

Ground Balls: F&M 31, W&L 37

Turnovers: F&M 13, W&L 19

Free Position: F&M 4-of-5, W&L 1-of-3

Draw Control: F&M 9, W&L 10

Goalies: F&M (Kim Pleasants - 60:0, 8 saves, 9 goals)
W&L (Sarah Tilbor - 60 minutes, 9 saves, 8 goals)