GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team, ranked fourth in the country, found itself trailing No. 22 Haverford by a 9-7 score entering the final quarter on Saturday as these two sides met for the second time in as many weeks during the Centennial Conference semifinals. Undeterred, F&M (16-2) scored the final four goals of the afternoon and advanced to the Centennial Conference Championship game with a hard-fought 11-9 victory over the Fords (12-5).

The Diplomats will look to avenge their regular season loss to the Bullets on Sunday afternoon when these two rivals meet on the battlefield at 1 p.m. Top-seeded Gettysburg also found itself in a battle on Saturday before pulling away late during a 14-9 victory against fourth-seeded Washington College.

Making her return to the lineup, Marissa McGarrey led F&M with three goals and one assist, while fellow All-American Ally Marino finished with four points of her own (2g, 2a). Gillian Brennan additionally aided the attack with a pair of goals for the Diplomats in a contest that saw six lead changes throughout regulation.

Haverford struck first on Saturday, scoring just under three minutes into the opening quarter. However, three straight goals gave F&M what turned out to be the team's largest lead of the day. The Diplomats matched that two-goal advantage on two other occassions, including the 11-9 score at the final horn. Those three goals came just 3:03 apart, with McGarrey leveling the score at the 6:47 mark of the opening quarter. Marino and Brennan also found the back of the cage during the first period, with McGarrey also scoring late in the first to give F&M a 4-2 lead after 15 minutes.

The Fords came back with a 4-0 run of their own, as F&M was held off the board for nearly 15 minutes. Trailing 6-4, the Diplomats closed the opening half with three goals during the final 2:01 of the second quarter. Maddy Birch and McGarrey scored just 48 seconds apart, while Lydia Cassilly scored as the time expired to give her side a 7-6 advantage after 30 minutes.

The third quarter was all Haverford as the Fords scored the only three goals of the period. That momentum would nonetheless be quickly answered during the fourth. Trailing 9-7, Marino and Brennan each scored to tie the game at nine with 11:11 remaining in regulation. The eventual game-winning goal came nearly eight minutes later as McGarrey found Madison Bray at the 3:39 mark before Lane Lambeth added the insurance tally with 1:15 remaining in the fourth.

Franklin & Marshall finished the game with a 32-19 advantage in shots and a 23-16 edge in ground balls. However, eight saves from the Fords,' including three stops during the first and third quarters, kept Haverford in the contest. Haverford did own a 14-9 advantage in draw controls. Mary Pat McKenna led F&M's defensive efforts with four caused turnovers. Erin Phillips and Marino each forced the Fords into a pair of giveaways. That defensive pressure led to 24 Haverford turnovers as the Diplomats held their opponents to just 16-of-27 on clearing attempts.

On top of her consistent pressure on the attack, Marino picked up a team-leading six ground balls as she was one of seven Diplomats with multiple GBs. Megan Bizub led F&M with four draw controls in addition to a pair of ground balls. Bray also secured three draw controls and a pair of ground balls throughout the victory.

The winner of tomorrow's Centennial Conference Championship game in Gettysburg will secure the conference's automatic qualifying spot to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament while the other will certainly be one of the top at-large picks to join the field.