LANCASTER, Pa. – The No. 8-ranked Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team picked up its first nationally-ranked win of the season via a 19-11 victory over No. 13 Messiah during the team's hope opener on Wednesday afternoon. The Diplomats (1-1) scored six goals in the first quarter and eight more during the third to pace the explosive attack.

Lydia Cassilly was one of four Diplomats who posted hat tricks on the afternoon as she registered a team-high six points (5 g, 1 a) on just seven shots. Sydney Lowe, Devyn Crone, and Lauren Pittman each found twine three times inside Shadek Stadium, with Lowe and Crone finishing at five and four points each after setting up their teammates. Lane Lambeth also talled twice, with Madison Bray, Maddy Birch, and Adde Hollander additionally finding their way onto the score sheet. Bray's goal came on top of setting up three others throughout the nationally-ranked battle.

Messiah struck first on Wednesday, but the Diplomats did not trail for long as Cassilly answered with a free-position attempt just over a minute later to start a 4-0 run in favor of the Diplomats. The closest the visiting Falcons would come the rest of the afternoon was a 4-3 score with 3:54 remaining in the opening period before back-to-back goals from Lambeth and Bray. Franklin & Marshall led by at least two goals from the 2:54 mark of the opening on period after those two strikes gave the hosts a 6-3 lead.

Cassilly scored two more goals during the second quarter to help her side to a 9-6 advantage at the break. The last time Messiah got within two goals was after the first tally of the third quarter. Neverthless, F&M left no doubt when it followed up that Falcon goal with five straight of its own. Cassilly and Lowe each scored twice during that run which lasted just over six minutes. The Diplomats finished their high-powered quarter with an 8-2 advantage in the third. The F&M lead reached a double-figure margin with goals in the fourth from Birch and Hollander before the Falcons got two back before the final buzzer in the 19-11 contest.

Franklin & Marshall got very strong production in the crease from its goalies as Alyssa Moran made a career-high nine saves during her 56-plus minutes in goal before Molly Donatelli made two more stops during the closing minutes. A huge key to the F&M success was holding Messiah to just 1-for-9 on free position attempts. The Diplomats also held a 34-25 edge in shots and a 20-17 lead in ground balls throughout the contest. Belle Dintino and Mary Pat McKenna each forced a pair of turnovers. Bray led the Diplomats with seven draw controls, while Caroline Findlay, Cassilly, and McKenna each scooped up a team-best three ground balls.

Women's lacrosse will be back inside the friendly confines of Shadek Stadium this Saturday when the team welcomes York (Pa.) to campus for a 12 p.m. opening draw. That will be the second in a string of three consecutive home matches for the Diplomats before they head to Florida.