COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – It was a back-and-forth battle seemingly all afternoon as the Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team traveled to Ursinus in crucial game among teams looking to hunt down a Centennial Conference playoff berth. The two sides were tied five times after the game's first 10 goals, but a small 3-0 run for the Bears early in the second quarter proved huge in 12-10 final score.
Franklin & Marshall took one goal leads following each of its first three snipes of the game as Liam Timmins, Jackson Barnhill, and James Moroney all tallied within the first seven minutes of Saturday's conference showdown. The Diplomats' first back-to-back goals of the afternoon came from Jack Luviano and Colin Hueston as they took a 5-4 lead into the second.
The host Bears tied the game just over two minutes into the second period and it was the start of that aforementioned 3-0 run where the Bears would never fully relinquish the lead. Dillon Mannix had F&M's deficit down to a single goal for the first of four such chances the hosts would have during the remainder of regulation as the score sat at 7-6 heading into halftime.
Peter Della Volpe had the only third quarter goal for the Diplomats who also conceded just one goal and found themselves in the game at 8-7 heading into the final 15 minutes. Kai Kelly and Ryan Connelly traded goals with Ursinus to keep the deficit at one with five minutes to play in regulation, but a pair of Ursinus goals with just 1:19 of separation put the hosts up 12-9 with 2:39 showing on the game clock.
Connelly became the first Diplomat to find the back of the cage twice on Saturday, but his effort with 11 seconds on the game clock was not enough in the 12-10 final. Mannix finished a team-high three points as he registered two assists in addition to his goal.
Franklin & Marshall made two more saves during than the Bears, as Teddy Scarborough got the start and came away with seven stops. However, Ursinus was able to generate a 46-31 advantage in shots thanks in part to a 43-27 advantage in ground balls. Ursinus also won 21 of the game's 26 faceoffs to guarantee themselves additional possessions.
After being on the road for the entirety of April so far, men's lacrosse returns to Shadek Stadium this Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game under the lights against Washington College.
