LANCASTER, Pa. – Challenging itself against a nationally-ranked schedule right from the opening draw, the No. 7 Franklin & Marshall's women's lacrosse took on No. 5 Washington and Lee during its home opener on Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats held the Generals scoreless for the final 54 seconds of the third quarter and 14:49 of the fourth quarter as they rallied from a 9-6 deficit to tie the contest. Nevertheless, W&L stunned the Diplomats' comeback bid as it scored with 11.9 seconds remaining in regulation to come away with a 10-9 victory.

Marissa McGarrey led Franklin & Marshall with four goals on the afternoon, including two key tallies during the fourth quarter to help her team level the contest. Classmate Maisie O'Shea added two goals to F&M's attack.

The visiting Generals led for the majority of the afternoon as they struck midway through the first quarter and eventually led 3-1 after 15 minutes, with only Madison Bray's goal breaking that run. Franklin & Marshall got its attack going in the second quarter, led by its seniors as junior Sydney Lowe got into the scoring act late in the opening half.

Staying within striking distance for most of the afternoon, the Diplomats brought the game back to within a single goal six different times. It was during their extended defensive lockdown that they were finally able to capitalize on that opportunity as McGarrey scored her second free-position goal of the quarter to tie the game at nine-all with 6:51 to play in regulation.

Both teams had multiple possessions during the final minutes looking for the go-ahead goal. A key save from Emily Kitchin and caused turnover by Erin Phillips helped gain the possession back for the hosts. Franklin & Marshall had the attack set up after timeout with 1:40 left in the final quarter, but the W&L defense stepped up with a caused turnover of its own that eventually paved the way for the game-winning goal. Allie Schwab scored the eventual game-winning goal as she was one of three Generals with multiple goals.

Emily Kitchin made a game-high 11 saves to keep her team in the game throughout the afternoon. That included four key stops during the fourth quarter while her side erased its deficit. Kitchin also caused four turnovers on defense while Maddy Birch, Erin Phillips, and Sydney Lowe each forced multiple giveaways.

Women's lacrosse will now begin an extended time on the road, starting with a trip to Misericordia next Saturday, February 26. The opening draw in that contest is slated for 1 p.m.