LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall field hockey team broke out offensively during a 4-0 victory against Elizabethtown on Wednesday afternoon to record its first victory of the season on Tylus Field. The Diplomats scored all four of their goals in the first half – including three during the second quarter of the dominating victory.
The Diplomats got the scoring started early as Jessica Miller scored her second goal of the season on an assist from Caitlyn Hoover. That goal came as part of a 14-0 advantage in shots during the first 15 minutes, but five saves from the Blue Jays prevented any further damage during the opening period.
The second quarter proved to be the most fruitful for the offense as it found the back of the cage three times. First-year Megan Dadio added her second goal of the season just over four minutes into the second period, with Hannah Fitzgerald registering the assist. Following her assist on the first goal of the match, Hoover made it a three-way tie for the team's leading goal scorer as she registered her second goal of the season to make the score 3-0. The second and third goals were separated by just 72 seconds of playing time.
Franklin & Marshall's final goal of the afternoon was also the first career goal for first-year Ava Lofgren who was making her collegiate debut. The Diplomats were very efficient in their shooting as they scored on three of their nine shots during the second quarter.
Although the 4-0 score at the half held as the final, the Diplomats continued to pressure the Elizabethtown defense for the entire 60 minutes as they finished with a 37-3 advantage in total shots. In addition to this dramatic advantage, F&M finished with a 14-1 edge in penalty corner chances. Dadio recorded a game-high eight shots. She was one of 10 Diplomats with multiple shot attempts on the afternoon.
Elizabethtown's goalies combined to make 15 saves throughout the contest to prevent the Diplomats from doing any further damage. The F&M defense conceded just three shots as Megan Dole stopped the only Blue Jays' lone shot on goal of the contest just before the conclusion of the opening half. Jorja Paston and Sydney Kuehn played the third and fourth quarters in goal to solidify the Diplomats' first shutout of the season.
With the first win of the season under its belt, field hockey will now travel to Montclair State this coming Saturday for an 11 a.m. start in New Jersey.
