LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team welcomed local rival York (Pa.) to Shadek Stadium on Saturday afternoon to put its undefeated record on the line. Unfortunately for the Diplomats, the Spartans proved more than worthy of their No. 10 national ranking during a 15-6 final that handed the Diplomats their first defeat of the season.
Franklin & Marshall played even with York (Pa.) during the first half of the game and was trailing just 5-4 after Mason Montrella rattled the back of the cage with 2:26 to play in the first half. However, the Spartans added a goal just before the break and outscored F&M 9-2 over the final 30 minutes to pull away with the victory. Montrella and Liam Timmins each scored multiple goals to lead F&M's attack, while Kai Kelly and Jack Luviano each tallied single goals.
Both defenses were strong from the start as it took until the 7:25 mark of the first quarter before Luviano registered the game's first goal. Timmins registered his two goals in a span of just under 10 minutes, tying the game at two and three-all on assists from Dillon Mannix and Kyle Stevenson. After York (Pa.) gained the first multi-goal advantage of the contest, Montrella tallied his first goal of the contest. He and Kelly would score during the third and fourth quarter, but it was not enough as the Spartans finished with a 47-34 advantage in shots. Pierce Archer and Matthew Giller was credited with the assists on the Diplomats' second half goals.
Sage Garito made a game-high 17 saves for the Diplomats while the Spartans' goalies combined to make 14 stops. Brendan Murphy and Alex Fraser each caused a pair of turnovers to lead F&M's defensive efforts, with Adam Soper collecting a team-high four ground balls. Soper finished the contest with eight face-off victories in 23 attempts.
Men's lacrosse will look to get back to its winning ways when the Diplomats are back at home this coming Wednesday, February 28 for a 4 p.m. face-off against Messiah. F&M will additionally host Catholic next Saturday with that contest set for a 12 p.m. start.
