SALEM, Va. – The Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team, a squad receiving votes in the USILA national rankings, went back-and-forth all Wednesday afternoon at Roanoke. The Diplomats and Maroons were tied on eight different occasions, the last of which left the two sides in a 13-all deadlock heading into the final 15 minutes. During that remaining time, it was host Roanoke who won the fourth quarter by a 4-2 score and came away with the 17-15 victory.
Ten different Diplomats rattled the back of the cage during the high scoring affair, including two goals each from Kai Kelly, Dillon Mannix, Mason Montrella, Christian Sullivan, and Liam Timmins. Timmins additionally assisted on two goals for a team-high four points. The game was just as even in a number of other statistics as Roanoke held slight advantages in both face-off wins (18-17) and total shots (54-53).
The first quarter was the highest scoring 15 minutes of the game as the teams combined for 11 goals and saw Roanoke leading 6-5 after the opening period. The Maroons had a rare multi-goal lead during the closing minutes of that period, but Brendan Murphy and Ryan Connelly broke the defense to get F&M back within a single goal heading to the second. That momentum continued when Kyle Russell tied the game at six-all just 45 seconds into the second quarter.
Franklin & Marshall held the upper hand with a 5-3 advantage in goals during the second quarter, with Ryan Roberts joining Timmins, Sullivan, and Mannix as Diplomat goal scorers. F&M was up 10-8 following Mannix's second goal, but the Maroons once again had a late answer as the Diplomats took a 10-9 lead into the locker room.
Kelly's opening goal of the third quarter helped F&M match its largest lead of the afternoon, but three straight scores from the hosts gave them a 12-11 lead. This time it was F&M's chance to answer as goals from Sullivan and Montrella put the score at the aforementioned 13-all deadlock heading into the final 15 minutes. Montrella provided the late heroics of the third quarter as his first goal of the afternoon came with just 12 seconds on the clock.
Montrella's fourth quarter goal split a pair of back-to-back tallies from the Maroons as the hosts scored three times in a span of 2:22, taking their largest advantage of the afternoon at 17-14 with 5:20 to play. The Diplomats held a 9-7 advantage in shots during the final 15 minutes, but five saves from the Maroons limited the damage as the only other F&M goal came from Owen Hire with 16 seconds left in regulation during the 17-15 final.
Franklin & Marshall did hold the slight 33-30 advantage in shots on goal, but 18 combined saves from Roanoke's goalies loomed large in the final result. Sage Garito was also busy in his crease as he stopped 13 shots throughout the contest.
Following its first road contest of the season, men's lacrosse returns to Shadek Stadium this Saturday for a 12 p.m. noon face-off with local rival Elizabethtown. That will be the team's final tune up before Centennial Conference play begins next weekend.
