YORK, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team dropped a 6-5 defensive battle to rival York (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon. Teddy Scarborough made 16 saves to star in the crease for the Diplomats, but his counterpart in the opposite crease matched that total to give his side the narrow non-conference victory.
F&M was leading 3-2 at the half before Scarborough made 10 of his 16 saves during the final 30 minutes of regulation. Despite those efforts, it was the Spartans who scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal with 5:02 remaining in regulation time. That final goal secured the narrow victory in what was just the hosts' second lead all afternoon.
The Diplomats got out to the early lead with Dillon Mannix scoring a pair goals just 57 seconds apart to put his side up 2-0. Those tallies marked the only score of the opening period as Scarborough stopped all six shots on goal he faced during the first 15 minutes. Jacob Szczepanski made it 3-1 midway through the second quarter to give his side its second two-goal advantage of the afternoon at 3-1.
York (Pa.) claimed its first lead of the contest with a 3-0 run that saw them score just before the break before adding the first two goals of the second half. That Spartans' advantage would be short-lived though as Dylan Reese and Matt Marino scored exactly two minutes apart to give the Diplomats a 5-4 lead heading into the final period. For Reese, it was the rookie's first career goal, while Marino now has six goals through the team's first three games to rank second on the squad.
Even with four more saves during the final 15 minutes, York (Pa.) was able to crack the F&M defense twice during that final quarter, tying the game with 7:18 left in regulation before the eventual game-winner. Franklin & Marshall had a pair of shots on goal during that remaining time as it hunted for the game-tying goal, but Spartans' goalie Nash Wornack handled both of those attempts to finish his strong performance with 16 saves of his own.
The Diplomats' defensive efforts were aided by causing eight turnovers. Mason Montrella led the team with two caused turnovers in addition to his two assists that he dished out on the attacking end of the field. John Bolognesi was one of five F&M players with multiple ground balls, coming away with a team-best three.
Men's lacrosse will be back on the road this coming Wednesday as the Diplomats prepare for another regional matchup against Messiah that is set for Wednesday, February 26. Opening faceoff in that contest is set for 7 p.m. in Grantham. F&M returns home to Shadek Stadium next Sunday against Ohio Wesleyan to open the month of March.
