SALISBURY, Md. – The No. 5 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team took down defending national champion and second-ranked Salisbury by a 16-10 score on Wednesday afternoon. The Diplomats (8-1) scored 10 of the final 12 goals in the contest to turn a slight 8-6 deficit into a nationally-ranked victory in their favor against the Sea Gulls (9-2).

F&M was leading 6-3 after a fast and furious start to the opening period of play, but Salisbury countered that run with five straight of its own to hold an 8-6 lead. Just when it looked like the Sea Gulls were seizing the momentum, F&M got a goal from Ally Marino with just four seconds left in the opening half. It did not seem like much at the time, but it would go on to be the beginnings of six straight and 10 of 11 scores overall in favor of the Diplomats during dominant second half.

During that run, Salisbury was held scoreless for 18:54 of game action, including a shutout during the third period. Today's contest marked the final non-conference game of the regular season. With its latest victory, F&M has now won eight straight, including five consecutive wins against nationally-ranked opposition.

Marino's goal was one of four on the afternoon for the two-time defending Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Lydia Cassilly registered a team-high six points, with three goals and three assists, while Maddy Birch had five points (3g, 2a). Madison Bray and Marissa McGarrey added multi-goal outings, with Gillian Brennan and Sydney Lowe also rattling the cage during multi-point games.

Emily Kitchin, another two-time CC Player of the Week, was again strong in the crease with 15 saves. That performance was key as both teams finished the game with 33 shots. Salisbury held a slight 25-22 edge in shots on goal, but the efficient shooting and strong play in front of the cage proved pivotal in the final outcome.

Bray and Marino each scored a pair of goals during the opening quarter as the Diplomats raced out to the early edge. During F&M's 6-0 run, the attack came from a variety of different looks as Birch was the only player to tally twice during that span. Marino, Brennan, Lowe, and McGarrey gave the Sea Gulls defense far too many options to completely cover during that extended run.

Salisbury broke its scoreless stretch at the 11:47 mark of the fourth quarter for the team's first goal since the opening half. With the score set at 12-9, Birch scored her third goal of the game to answer the challenge. Just under two minutes later, Marino and Cassilly added two more goals that came 34 seconds apart before Cassilly capped the F&M scoring at the 2:43 mark of the final period.

Kitchin was at her best during that lockdown second half as she stopped nine of Salisbury's final 11 shots on goal, posting an .818 save percentage during the final 30 minutes. F&M helped to limit the traffic in front of Kitchin by holding a 16-13 advantage in draw controls.

Women's lacrosse will now turn its attention solely to the Centennial Conference during the month of April. Already 1-0 in the conference standings, the Diplomats will return home this Saturday to battle Swarthmore with a 12 p.m. opening draw inside Shadek Stadium.