ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The No. 5 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team found itself facing some early adversity against previously undefeated Muhlenberg, but the Diplomats rebounded behind a huge 10-1 third quarter to hand the Mules a 20-12 defeat during the Centennial Conference opener for both squads. The Diplomats trailed by three goals on three separate occasions in the first half as the Mules took a 9-8 lead into the half before F&M's huge third quarter.
Lauren Pittman paced four Diplomat hat tricks on the afternoon as she scored a team-high five goals. Lydia Cassilly registered a team-leading seven points as she scored four more goals while adding three assists. Both Gillian Brennan and Lane Lambeth had three-goal hat tricks during the victory.
During the first half, F&M held a slight 20-19 advantage in shots which featured a 17-11 edge in shots on goal. However, nine saves from Muhlenberg's Ellison Ervin kept her side in front during most of the opening 30 minutes. The eight goals that the Diplomats were able to get past the Mules' keeper in the first half all came from players who recorded multiple goals throughout the victory.
The script certainly flipped in the third quarter as the Diplomats put 13 of their 15 shot attempts on goal, scoring on 10 of those attempts. Lambeth tied the game at nine-all just 45 seconds into the second half before Muhlenberg took its final lead of the game at 10-9. F&M scored the final nine goals of the third quarter and also had the first goal of the fourth as its 10-0 run made the score 19-10.
Adde Hollander, Brennan, and Pittman each tallied two goals during the 10-0 run which also featured scores from Cassilly, Lambeth, Claire Book, and Devyn Crone. Brennan's goal capped the scoring run early in the fourth quarter before Avery Briggs tallied F&M's 20th goal of the game late in the fourth quarter of the 20-12 victory.
The Diplomats finished the game with a 41-31 edge in shots and doubled up the Mules in shots on goal (34-17). Draw Controls slightly favored F&M at an 18-17 advantage, while the Diplomats held a 31-17 edge in ground balls. In addition to her team lead in goals, Pittman also collected a team-best eight draw controls as Sarah Bowyer gained possession for her side on six occasions.
Alyssa Moran scooped up a team-best five ground balls in addition to making five saves as the goalie of record. Brennan caused three turnovers to pace that effort, with Belle Dintino, Mia Geignetter, Sophia Geibel, and Mary Katherine Savio forcing multiple takeaways.
Women's lacrosse continues Centennial Conference play next Saturday, March 30 when the Diplomats welcome Swarthmore to Shadek Stadium. That contest, which will be just the second home game this season, is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
