LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 4 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team started its 2024 season with a top-10 showdown at No. 7 Washington and Lee. With these two perennial powers meeting nearly every year since 1998, the Generals claimed the most recent battle by a 17-10 score on their home field Sunday afternoon.
Gillian Brennan paced a pair of Diplomat hat tricks as she scored five goals, with Lane Lambeth adding three most to the visitor's total. Madison Bray and Lydia Cassilly each scored twice as Cassilly added two more assists to finish with three points. The Diplomats finished with a 33-31 advantage in shots, but W&L had three hat tricks of its own – including a six-goal performance from Julia Thompson – to come away with the victory.
The Diplomats and Generals were tied on three different occassions early on as the two sides combined for six goals in just under 10 minutes of play. Brennan opened the scoring for the 2024 campaign with her goal just 1:07 into regulation while Lambeth scored the next two goals to keep pace with the hosts. However, the momentum would turn in Washington and Lee's favor when it scored back-to-back goals and 10 of the next 12 goals during a span that stretched into the third quarter.
Trailing 13-5 after that extended run, the Diplomats turned to their senior leaders as Brennan scored twice and Bray added another in a span of 2:43 to cut the deficit to 13-8 with 13:51 to play in regulation. The Diplomats finished the game with an 8-4 advantage in shots over the final 15 minutes, but four saves and four more goals from the Washington and Lee attack led the to the Generals holding a 17-10 advantage at the final buzzer.
In addition to its advantage in shots, the Diplomats held a 17-14 edge in draw controls as Lauren Pittman collected a team-best eight DCs. Belle Dintino led the defensive effort with three caused turnovers, while Lambeth added a team-leading four ground balls in addition to her efforts on the attacking end. Alyssa Moran anchored the defense with six saves on the afternoon.
Women's lacrosse will return to action this coming Saturday when F&M hosts its home opener at 3 p.m. inside Shadek Stadium. The Diplomats' home opener will be part of a doubleheader with the men's team which will play at 12 p.m. noon that same day.
