CARLISLE, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team officially secured its first round bye in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament with an 18-12 victory at Dickinson on Wednesday night. The Diplomats held a 24-9 edge in draw controls and nearly doubled up the Red Devils in shot attempts as they raced out to an 8-2 lead after 15 minutes and never looked book.

Gillian Brennan, Maddy Birch, Sydney Lowe, and Lauren Pittman all recorded hat tricks while Lydia Cassilly added two more to the winning side. Madison Bray, Lane Lambeth, and Abby Gravel also rattled the back of the cage throughout the Centennial Conference clash under the lights.

The Diplomats held a 15-3 advantage in shots during the opening 15 minutes to help them out to their large early lead. The Red Devils were holding a slight 2-1 edge after nearly seven minutes before F&M scored seven goals during the final 7:57 of the opening period. Brennan already had her hat trick locked up with 1:41 to play in the opening quarter.

Birch had her hat trick wrapped up by the half as she tallied twice during the second quarter as the Diplomats took a 10-6 lead into the break. Dickinson did have the game down to a single goal difference with 9:26 to play in the third after the Red Devils scored the first three goals of the second half. However, that would be all the closer that F&M allowed the opposition to come as it closed that third period with three straight and went on to score seven of the next eight goals to extend the lead to 17-10 with 4:47 to play before the whistle blew on the 18-12 final.

Franklin & Marshall finished the game with a commanding 37-20 edge in shots, but the Red Devils were able to keep within striking distance behind a very efficient 7-for-8 night on free-position attempts. Lane Lambeth helped F&M dominate the restarts with nine draw controls, while teammates Ava Turner and Madison Bray finished with seven and five, respectively. Bray was additionally the team leader with three ground balls. Eight different players caused a turnover, with Alyssa Moran ultimately picking up her 12th victory of the season as she played the full 60 minutes.

Women's lacrosse will wrap up the regular season with another road game this Saturday at Bryn Mawr. The Diplomats and Owls are set for a 1 p.m. opening draw. After finishing the regular season this weekend, F&M's Centennial Conference Tournament officially gets underway with the team's semifinal game which will be held inside Shadek Stadium on Friday, May 5.