Box Score HAVERFORD, Pa. – Maria Guarisco's score in the 10th minute helped the No. 6 Franklin & Marshall field hockey team hold off a potential upset bid by Haverford in a 1-0 shutout on Saturday.
The Centennial Conference (CC) win was the Diplomats' third in a row and moved their record to 11-1, 5-1 CC, while the Fords fell to 5-7, 1-4 CC.
F&M came out aggressive, drawing five penalty corners and registering four shots in the opening 10 minutes. An untimely foul from the Fords led to a prime scoring chance for the Diplomats when Maria Guarisco was awarded a penalty stroke, which the junior midfielder buried for her 15th tally of the season.
Guarisco has now recorded goals in four consecutive games, tallying six over that span. Her 15 scores on the year lead her team and are tied for the top spot in the conference.
F&M's offense completely overmatched Haverford in the opening frame, outshooting the Fords by a 14-0 margin but was unable to capitalize on any more of its opportunities in the opening 35 minutes of the game.
The Diplomats continued to put pressure on Haverford in the second stanza and their defense continued their dominant play to hold off the Fords. With just minutes to go in regulation and nursing the one-goal advantage, F&M's defensive unit came up huge by blocking back-to-back shots to end the contest.
For the game, the shot count belonged to the Diplomats at 22-3, while F&M also controlled penalty corners at 17-2. Allie Morey (11-1) picked up the win, helping the Diplomats earn their seventh shutout of the season, while the Fords' Lindsey Lopes (5-7) suffered the loss despite 11 stops.
Guarisco led the offensive charge with nine shots, followed by three a piece by Clare Wirth and Sydney Cole.
The Diplomats continue action on Wednesday when F&M travels to take on Immaculata at 4:00 p.m. in non-conference competition.
