COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- A.J. Kopacz's goal right at the beginning of the second half led No. 17 Franklin & Marshall to a 1-0 road victory over Ursinus in Centennial Conference (CC) action on Saturday afternoon. The win gave the Diplomats (12-2-1, 5-2-1 CC) a bump from a four-way tie for second place in the CC, while Ursinus (8-6-1, 4-4 CC) struggled to keep pace for a potential playoff push. It also officially clinched the Diplomats spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament. The second through fifth place positions will be ultimately decided on the final day of the regular season.

F&M got an early advantage, as two quick yellows to Ursinus gave the Diplomats a man advantage for nearly the entirety of the game. Despite outshooting Ursinus 6-1 in the opening half, only a Koa Kaliebe attempt in the 33rd minute forced a save by the Bears keeper.

The Diplomats came out of the halftime break with immediate pressure on the Bears, as a Shay Adamson shot was knocked aside just over three minutes in.

A.J. Kopacz polished off his tenth goal of the season off a feed from Carl Friedrich for a 1-0 advantage in the 50th minute.

Oscar Horwitz nearly doubled the lead nearly three minutes later, pinging one off the post. Christian Avila Neres and Kaliebe had opportunities late on frame, but both were saved.

With the win, the Diplomats took at least a temporary hold on the second seed in the CC playoff picture, breaking free of a pack of teams all knotted at 4-2-1.

F&M outshot Ursinus 17-1 on the day, with Kopacz and Steven Yakita leading the way with three apiece.

Sam Altman Farrell (11-2-1) did not need to make a save for his eighth shutout of the year.

The Diplomats have a short turnaround, facing one last non-conference opponent in Lebanon Valley on Tuesday at Tylus Field for a 7 p.m. matchup, before facing Johns Hopkins at home on Saturday at 3 p.m.