GETTYSBURG, Pa. – It was another classic showdown between two rivals when the No. 2 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team met No. 8 Gettysburg on Wednesday afternoon. The Diplomats (12-3, 6-1 CC) and Bullets (12-2, 6-0 CC) were tied on eight different occasions throughout the top 10 classic, but it was ultimately Gettysburg who scored with 1:08 left in regulation to secure the 12-11 victory.

Lauren Pittman led the F&M attack with five goals, with Lane Lambeth also tallying a hat trick. Lydia Cassilly had three points with one goal and two assists while Madison Bray and Gillian Brennan also scored throughout the game.

Pittman opened the scoring and capped a 3-0 Diplomats' run that saw the visitors jump out to a 5-3 lead. That two goal advantage matched the largest lead either side held in the back-and-forth contest. Gettysburg's defense held F&M off the board for the final 10:48 of the second quarter after the Diplomats scored those three goals in less than four minutes, but Cassilly broke that stretch with the opening tally of the third quarter.

The Centennial Conference showdown was tied at nine, 10, and 11-all during the fourth quarter as the two sides battled for the top spot in the conference. Pittman and Bray gave the Diplomats the lead following those initial two ties, but the Bullets knotted the game at 11 with 3:15 to play in regulation. Franklin & Marshall won the final two draw controls of the game and finished the contest with a 38-29 advantage in shots. However, the Bullets thwarted that advantage by making 14 saves during the first three quarters and 15 overall.

F&M goalie Alyssa Moran made 10 saves of her own in goal to anchor a defense that saw Gettysburg commit five more turnovers than the Diplomats. Megan Bizub led F&M with three caused turnovers and was one of three players who finished tied for the team lead with three ground balls.

Following the showdown in Gettysburg, women's lacrosse has another crucial Centennial Conference matchup on the horizon as the Diplomats will now focus their efforts on Saturday's game at No. 24 Haverford. With a win in that conference matchup that is slated for a 12 p.m. start, the Diplomats can officially secure a top two seed in the conference tournament and first round bye into the CC semifinals.