ALLENTOWN, PA - Kelly Cassels (So., Downingtown, PA/Great Valley) scored five goals, while Alexis O'Meara (Sr., Annapolis, MD/Severn School) and Kiki Foster (Jr., Denver, CO/Kent Denver) added four goals apiece, as #14 Franklin & Marshall College (1-1, 1-0 Centennial Conference) opened the 2005 Centennial Conference season with a 16-7 win at Muhlenberg College (0-1, 0-1 Centennial Conference).

Cassels' performance marks the most goals scored in a game by a Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse player since Cassels and Foster netted five goals each in a 19-4 win at home in Lancaster versus Bryn Mawr College on April 17, 2004.

The Diplomats wasted little time in taking the lead as Foster beat Muhlenberg goalie Diana Bleakley with an unassisted score at 3:41 before O'Meara fired in an unassisted goal at 5:42 for a 2-0 lead.

Franklin & Marshall added to the lead at 8:14 as O'Meara buried a free position shot before Muhlenberg's Christa Carlstrand put the Mules on the board at 10:30 to trail 3-1.

However, Foster and Cassels then took over the remainder of the first half as F&M closed out the final 19:30 of play with a 4-1 run.

Cassels netted back-to-back goals with an unassisted score at 14:56 and a goal off an assist from Sloan Giampa (So., Cortlandt Manor, NY/Yorktown) at 15:50 to push the lead out to 5-1. Foster tallied a goal off a free position shot at 17:10 before Cassels finished a feed from Eileen Keever (Jr., Prospect Park, PA/Interboro) at 24:44 to take a 7-1 lead. Muhlenberg closed out the first half with a score at 29:46 as Shannon Donahue put in an assist from Carlstrand as the Diplomats led 7-2 at halftime.

Muhlenberg cut into the lead at 32:22 as Carlstrand scored an unassisted goal, but Brenna Dolphin (So., Wilmington, DE/Archmere Academy) scored an unassisted goal at 33:36 to start a 3-0 run to give F&M a 10-3 lead with 15:13 left t play as O'Meara fired in a pass from Cassels at 33:45 before Foster netted an unassisted goal at 44:47.

The teams traded goals as Carlstrand scored at 48:05 and 49:42 and O'Meara found the back of the net with her fourth goal at 48:44 before twin sister Allison O'Meara (Sr., Annapolis, MD/Severn School) registered a score off a free position shot for a 12-5 lead.

Cassels added to the lead as she scored off an assist from Alexis O'Meara, but Muhlenberg's Katie Reimann put in a free position shot at 53:16 to trail 13-6.

Cassels and Reimann traded goals at 54:58 and 55:56, respectively, off assists from Alexis O'Meara and Steph Light, before Holly Rutherford (Jr., Rochester, NY/Brighton) finished a feed from Alexis O'Meara at 59:14 and Foster netted an unassisted goal at 59:53 for the 16-7 final score.

Historically, O'Meara's performance raises her career numbers to 19-11-30 against Muhlenberg as she scored five goals and four assists in a 20-6 win in Lancaster on March 21, 2002, five goals and two assists in a 19-7 win at Muhlenberg on March 20, 2003, and five goals and two assists in an 18-3 win in Lancaster on March 24, 2004.

In goal, Kamissa Mort (Jr., Ashton, MD/Sandy Spring) notched eight saves with seven goals allowed off 18 shots, while Bleakley stopped 14 of F&M's 37 shots with 16 goals allowed.

The win improves Franklin & Marshall to 22-0 against Muhlenberg in the series history as F&M has defeated the Mules by a combined score of 73-23 over the last four years.

Franklin & Marshall (1-1, 1-0 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on March 10 versus Goucher College in the Diplomats' 2005 home opener. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.

Score by Half 1-2 - Final
#14 Franklin & Marshall (1-1, 1-0 CC) 7-9 - 16
Muhlenberg (0-1, 0-1 CC) 2-5 - 7

Goals:
Franklin & Marshall: Kelly Cassels (5), Alexis O'Meara (4), Kiki Foster (4), Allison O'Meara (1), Brenna Dolphin (1), Holly Rutherford (1)
Muhlenberg: Christa Carlstrand (4), Katie Reimann (2), Shannon Donohue (1)

Assists:
Franklin & Marshall: Alexis O'Meara (3), Kelly Cassels (1), Sloan Giampa (1), Eileen Keever (1)
Muhlenberg: Christa Carlstrand (1), Steph Light (1)

Shots: F&M 37, Muhlenberg 18

Ground Balls: F&M 28, Muhlenberg 19

Turnovers: F&M 20, Muhlenberg 24

Goalies: F&M (Kamissa Mort - 60 minutes, 8 saves, 7 goals)
Muhlenberg (Diana Bleakley - 60 minutes, 14 saves, 16 goals)