GLENCOE SPRINGS, Md. – The No. 5 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team tested itself against the current No. 1 team in the country on Tuesday as the Diplomats battled defending national champion Middlebury at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters. Tuesday's game was a rematch of last year's Final Four. Once again, the Panthers held the upper hand in this matchup and won by an 18-9 final on Tuesday.

Middlebury outscored the Diplomats by a 10-2 margin during the middle two quarters to pull away while F&M won the fourth by a 4-3 margin after a highly competitive opening quarter. Gillian Brennan recorded a hat trick against the defending national champions, as she went 3-for-3 on free-position shots to lead a perfect 5-for-5 effort as a team. Lane Lambeth and Lauren Pittman both scored twice, with Lydia Cassilly and Claire Book tallying single goals in the national showdown.

Franklin & Marshall had the game tied at three-all late in the first quarter when Brennan and Pittman scored back-to-back goals at the 4:27 and 1:51 marks of the opening period. Nevertheless, the Panthers began their assertive play throughout the middle of the game late in first quarter with a 4-0 run that extended into the second. Lambeth broke that stretch at the 10:53 mark of the second quarter, but Middlebury scored the next eight before Pittman snapped that run in the closing minutes of the third.

Alyssa Moran made 12 saves to try and slow down the Panthers' attack, but the defending national champions pressured the F&M defense throughout Tuesday's game and finished with a 37-20 advantage in shots. Middlebury additionally created a number of extra possessions on the attack with a 20-10 advantage in draw controls.

Following the showdown with the No. 1 team in the country, the Diplomats will be back on the road this Saturday as they opening up Centennial Conference play at Muhlenberg. The opening draw for the conference season is set for 12 p.m. in Allentown.