LANCASTER, Pa.- For the seventh time under head coach Kaitlyn Eager, the No. 13 Franklin & Marshall field hockey team (15-3, 8-2 Centennial Conference) are competing for a Centennial Conference Tournament Championship. The second-seeded Diplomats secured a first-round bye for the first time since 2022, and they'll host the third-seeded No. 12 Dickinson Red Devils (17-2, 8-2 Centennial Conference) in the semifinal round on Thursday, November 6, at 7:00 p.m.

Ticket Information

The Centennial Conference has announced that Hudl will serve as the ticket provider for CC championship events. Hudl will give event attendees the ability to purchase tickets online for each round of the Centennial postseason beginning with field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball this fall. Centennial fans will be able to find all scheduled postseason events on the Centennial ticketing homepage and quickly purchase tickets to receive via email. Fans will then use their smartphone to gain access at championship events through a simple and secure ticket validation process.  Below are the ticket prices for each round of the postseason:
Adults - $10
Students (Age 6 through High School) - $5
Senior Citizens - $5
College Students, Faculty & Staff of Centennial Schools - FREE
Children 5 and Under – FREE

The Field

FIRST ROUND: Tuesday, Nov. 4 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#3 Dickinson def. #6 Ursinus, 2-1
#5 Haverford def. #4 Swarthmore, 2-0

SEMIFINALS: Thursday, Nov. 6 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#3 Dickinson at #2 Franklin & Marshall, 7:00 p.m
#5 Haverford at #1 Johns Hopkins, 5:00 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, Nov. 8 | at highest remaining seed 
Semifinals winners, time TBA

Entering the Centennial Tournament

The Diplomats enter the Centennial Conference Tournament following a strong regular season where they posted a 15-3, 8-2 Centennial Conference record. They maintain a six-game winning streak in a spell where they've averaged 2.83 goals per game and 0.67 goals allowed per game with three shutouts. Their lone October loss came against No. 2 Johns Hopkins by a 2-1 scoreline.

The team is averaging both the best scoring average (3.50) and scoring margin (2.28) in the Centennial Conference, while ranking inside the top 25 in DIII in both categories. Defensively, F&M has the fourth-best goals allowed average (1.22). Penalty strokes have been useful for the Diplomats, as they lead the Centennial Conference with nine converted penalty strokes from 11 attempts. 

The Diplomats will look to improve on three consecutive Centennial Conference Tournament Semifinals appearances and seek a first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019's runner-up performance. The 2024 Diplomats earned a 2-0 win over Haverford in the first round of the Centennial Tournament before dropping their semifinal matchup at Ursinus in double overtime, 3-2. Hannah Fitzgerald led the offense with two goals in the 2024 postseason. The team's active goal-scoring leader in the postseason is Caitlin Hoover with five goals across her first two seasons. 

Players to Watch

The Diplomats' offense has been led by a historic 2025 from Caitlin Hoover. The junior ranks sixth in the country in both points per game (3.12) and goals per game (1.35). Among Centennial players, she leads the way in those categories plus game-winning goals with seven. She's recorded three hat-tricks this eason alone, breaking the program record with five career hat-tricks, while she's had eight multi-goal games and has scored at least one point in 15 consecutive games dating back to September 10. She became the team's tenth player with 100 career points in last week's 2-1 win at Swarthmore. Her 3.12 points per game average is currently on track for the best mark in program history, while she's already scored the third-most points (56) and fourth-most goals (24) in a single season.

Hannah Fitzgerald has had an impressive season to date, as she enters the week tied for the most assists per game (0.56) and is third in points per game (1.56) in the conference, totaling nine goals and ten assists. She stands just one assist away from tying the program's single-season assists record of 11 held by Dana Venditti (2012), Eileen O'Reilly (2010), and Ann Brothers (1977). 

Megan Dadio and Ava Lofgren also rank in the top five in points per game, as Dadio is tied for 14th (1.00, 6 goals, 6 assists) and Lofgren is 19th (0.94, 6 goals, 5 assists). Lofgren recorded her first career hat-trick in last month's 4-2 win over Muhlenberg. 

In the cage, Meghan Dole has tallied the fourth-most shutouts in the Centennial Conference (five) with three shutouts in the past four games. 

Scouting the Red Devils

No. 12 Dickinson enters Thursday night with a 17-2, 8-2 Centennial Conference record, with their only losses coming against the then No. 17 Diplomats (4-0, Oct. 25) and defending Centennial Conference Champions No. 3 Johns Hopkins (3-0, Sept. 30). Outside of those losses, they have earned four ranked wins in 2025. The Red Devils earned a 2-1 win over sixth-seeded Ursinus on Tuesday in the first round, with goals from Nicole Uebele and Erin Liggio. Taylor Morrow made six stops on seven chances.

The Centennial Conference's best defensive record combined with balanced offensive contributions has guided No. 12 Dickinson to this point of the season. The Red Devils are averaging a conference-leading 0.79 goals allowed per game. In the cage, Taylor Morrow ranks second in the conference in save percentage (.821) while she is tied for the most shutouts (8) among Centennial goalkeepers. The offense is scoring the third-most goals in the conference, averaging 2.53 goals per game. The goal-scoring responsibility has been shared by several players, as four players rank inside the top 25 in points per game in the Centennial Conference. Nicole Uebele has 20 points (1.05 PPG) on seven goals and six assists, while Gillain Rosenstock has contributed 19 points (1.00 PPG) on eight goals and three assists. Maggie Carson (17 points, 7 goals, 3 assists) and Megan McClure (7 goals, two assists) have also been key to the attacking success of Dickinson. Carson and Alex Hackett have delivered clutch goals, as the duo are tied for the second-most game winning goals in the conference with four apiece. 

Series History vs. Dickinson

The Diplomats maintain the competitive advantage historically against the Red Devils, as F&M enters with a 45-10-2 record in the matchup. During Kaitlyn Eager's tenure as head coach, F&M is 7-1, with the lone loss coming in a 2-1 defeat at Dickinson in 2021. F&M is averaging 3.13 goals per game in that span, while the Diplomats' defense has posted a combined 0.50 goals allowed average across those eight games. Less than two weeks ago, the Diplomats wrapped up the home regular season slate with a 4-0 victory over Dickinson with two goals from Caitlin Hoover, a goal apiece from Molly Donadoni and Hannah Fitzgerald, and a three-save shutout for Meghan Dole. 

On the current roster, Hoover and Fitzgerald lead the Diplomats offense with three goals apiece against Dickinson. Dole has a career .750 save percentage with six saves and two shutouts across three games against the Red Devils.