2020 Schedule | 2020 Roster | Video Roster | Preview Video | Social Media | Follow at Home
LANCASTER, Pa. - Coming off of an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, the No. 7 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team is aiming even higher in 2020. The Diplomats return their top three scorers from last year and a large core of key returners who were instrumental in guiding F&M to its seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Click here to meet the 2020 women's lacrosse team.
The 2019 Diplomats tore through Centennial Conference (CC) play with a 9-0 record but ultimately fell to Gettysburg in the Conference final. F&M dropped its two opponents in the NCAA Tournament by a combined 36-10 margin, before falling to eventual national champion Middlebury in the Elite Eight. With all but six graduating seniors returning, the Diplomats have an abundance of young talent now equipped with playoff experience entering 2020.
Click here to watch head coach Mike Faith preview the 2020 season.
Attack
Megan Jackson landed All-America Second Team honors after a 46-goal season. The junior also earned All-CC First Team and All-Region First Team recognition. Jackson led the team in draw controls (65) and ended third in caused turnovers (23).
Sophomore Ally Marino had an immediate impact on the Diplomat offense in her first season, finishing with a team-leading 49 goals and 62 points. Marino became only the second Diplomat to earn CC Rookie of the Year honors (Paige Moriarty in 2015 was the first) and picked up All-CC Second Team and All-Metro Region nods.
Junior Jane Cote continued her role as the primary helper on offense, leading the team with 59 assists and 78 points. Cote's 59 assists rank second in the Diplomat history behind Shannon Summer's 65 during the 2009 season. Cote finished third in the CC in assists and fifth in points.
Seniors Clare Monaghan and Eileen Cuneo will add leadership to the position.
First-year players Maddy Birch, Sarah Delaney, and Sydney Lowe, as well as junior Blair Atkins, will look to add scoring depth.
Midfield
The Diplomats need to replace two key members of the 2019 squad, as recent graduates Maddie Hughes and Caroline Kolva combined for 51 goals and 18 assists in their senior seasons.
Sophomore Tabitha Rodriguez will play a large role in the midfield, fresh off of a 27-goal first season and a spot on the All-CC Second Team. Rodriguez finished second on the team in draw controls (54) and third in shots (82).
Sophomore Marissa McGarrey also turned in a solid 2019 season, netting 23 goals to finish sixth on the team. Sophomore Maisie O'Shea moves to the midfield this season and along with classmate, Bridget Kane will add depth.
Juniors Juliann Lisovicz and Nancy Taylor will look to step up after helping off the bench last year.
Gracie Gargiulo, Emily Mooney, Ava Turner, and Lauren Van Buren will compete for playing time in their inaugural season in Lancaster.
Defense
Maggie Hanzsche enters her senior season after being named CC Defensive Player of the Year and collecting IWCLA All-America and All-Metro Region First Team honors. Hanzsche also garnered her second straight All-CC First Team nod, leading the team with 34 caused turnovers and ranking second with 42 ground balls in 16 starts.
Rejoining Hanzsche is junior Anya Chopoorian, who earned All-CC Second Team recognition for the second straight season. Chopoorian led the team with 43 ground balls and finished second with 25 caused turnovers.
Sophomores Helen Mackay and Erin Phillips had solid first years for F&M, starting 15 and 21 games, respectively. Phillips finished third on the team in ground balls with 32. Mackay picked up 20 ground balls with 13 caused turnovers.
Juniors Emma Arronson and Morgan Fitton-Zellers, as well as senior Katharine Yenke, will add solid depth, as all three players started seven games last season. Sophomore Lilly Nolan moved to the defensive side this year after playing at midfield last year.
Abbi Boehl and Mary Pat McKenna will battle for time in their first season.
Goalie
Sophomore Emily Kitchin takes the reins full-time this season, after starting 13 games in a tremendous inaugural campaign. Kitchin landed CC and All-Metro Region First Team recognition in her first season and picked up IWCLA All-America Second Team honors as well. Kitchin finished tops in the CC in save percentage (55.8%) and goals-against average (7.65), ending with an 11-2 record.
With backup 'keeper Julia McKay graduated, the door is open for first-year backstops Molly Donatelli and Emily Toft to see playing time behind the All-American.
Preseason Polls
The Diplomats were picked to finish second in the Centennial Conference coaches poll, behind two-time defending champion Gettysburg. F&M is ranked seventh in the IWCLA Coaches poll and 13th in the Nike/US Lacrosse rankings.
Schedule
F&M's 2020 schedule remains amongst the toughest in the nation, as the Diplomats will battle with six of the top 12 teams in the IWLCA Division III Coaches preseason poll.
The Diplomats jump out of the gate against No. 8 Washington & Lee at home on February 22. The Diplomats then travel to No. 6 York on February 26th, before visiting No. 12 Mary Washington on the 29th.
The tough schedule doesn't end in the opening month. March features non-conference battles against No. 22 Cortland State at U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters on March 14th and a road duel against No. 3 Salisbury on the 25th.
Centennial Conference play begins on March 21st against Swarthmore and continues deep into April. April 1st features a road match at No. 4 Gettysburg that could go a long way toward determining the top seed in the CC Playoffs.
Sneaking into the month of April is also a non-conference battle against No. 10 Catholic.
CC First Round matches begin April 30th, while the NCAA Tournament commences on May 9th.
Fans can utilize the "Add to Calendar" button, which allows the synchronization of new events and updates directly in their Google, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook, iCal and additional calendars.
Look for the icon below, which can be accessed at the top-right of the women's lacrosse schedule when viewed on your computer, or bottom-left of all schedules on your mobile device.
Follow at Home
All F&M home contests are streamed in HD video, free of charge at GoDiplomats.com/Live and simulcast on the Centennial Conference Digital Network (CCDN). Fans can also follow the action through the live stats page, found here.
Centennial Conference Digital Network (CCDN)
The Centennial Conference announced a partnership with Stretch Internet to become the conference's digital network provider and establish a central location for all CC athletic events. Broadcasts that are present in the Stretch portal are exclusively produced by each of the 11-member institutions of the conference.
In addition to its Roku channel, the Conference will have three new over-the-top (OTT) applications to make broadcasts available – Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Android TV. Home broadcasts that are produced by all 11 members will be available on CentennialConference.TV and the OTT apps.
Follow Along (Social Media)
All of your favorite Diplomat athletic teams are available on social media. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram, like them on Facebook and subscribe to the Diplomats YouTube page for frequent highlight videos of games throughout the season.
