Box Score LANCASTER, Pa. – Tamara Mills goal in the 65th minute broke a scoreless tie and delivered the Franklin & Marshall field hockey team a 1-0 victory over Dickinson in the Centennial Conference (CC) Semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Tylus Field.
The win propelled the Diplomats (16-2) to their fifth straight CC Championship game, while the Red Devils season came to an end at 12-7.
With just five minutes remaining in the contest, a deflection in front of the cage was collected on the lower-right side by Mills, who sent a shot just inside the far post for the game winner. The score was Mills third of the season.
Opportunities were limited for each team through the opening 35 minutes as F&M led by a narrow 2-0 margin in shots. The only scoring chance for the Diplomats came in the 11th minute when an attempt outside the circle from Bridget Falcone made its way to Clare Wirth underneath, who sent a shot on cage that careened off the left post and out of bounds.
Out of the break, F&M's attack began to hit its stride, dominating action in its offensive zone from the onset. The Diplomats opened with six corners in the opening 10 minutes of the half but were unable to light the scoreboard until Mills late tally.
Shots were dominated by F&M at 15-0, including a 13-0 advantage in the second. Corners also belonged to the Diplomats at 12-0. Maria Guarisco, Anne Horsley and Wirth led the way with three apiece.
Goalkeeper Ilianna Santangelo (12-1) secured the win, while Emily Fuss (9-6) was dealt the hard-luck loss, despite recording five saves on the afternoon.
The Championship game is set for a 1:00 p.m. start tomorrow in Lancaster. F&M must wait the result of No. 2 Ursinus vs. No. 3 Haverford's Saturday contest to determine its opponent. Check back with GoDiplomats.com later this afternoon for up-to-date information.
