LANCASTER, Pa. – The top-seeded Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team advanced to the Centennial Conference Championship game for the 20th time in program history with a 21-11 win over fourth-seeded Muhlenberg on Thursday night during semifinal action. The Diplomats (16-2) outscored the Mules 14-2 during the second and third quarters en route to punching their ticket to the conference final.

With the victory, F&M will once again play rival Gettysburg in the championship game. Hosted in Shadek Stadium, the Centennial title will be decided this Saturday, May 3 with a 7 p.m. opening draw. No. 2 seed Gettysburg defeated third-seeded Haverford by a 13-10 score in tonight's other semifinal contest

Ten different players scored during F&M's semifinal victory, led by Lydia Cassilly's seven points on five goals and two assists. Lane Lambeth scored four times, while Added Hollander also had a hat trick. Alexandra Profroeck (1 goal, 3 assists) and Lauren Pittman (2 goals, 2 assists) each had four points in the win. Rose Dune scored twice, with Devyn Crone, Megan Bizub, Julia Carbon, and Claire Book adding goals during the playoff win.

The Diplomats scored the first four goals of Wednesday. With the 4-0 lead just over four minutes into the contest, F&M was eventually up 5-3 after 15 quarters. Nevertheless, the big run was yet to come as the hosts ran off the first six goals of the second quarter, with Cassilly scoring three of those six during the extended scoring run. Hollander closed the scoring in the first half to give her side a 12-5 lead before the seniors continued to pour on the goals as Lambeth and Cassilly opened the third quarter scoring.

Franklin & Marshall's lead reached double figures when Pittman scored with 10:12 remaining in the third. Following a Muhlenberg answer, Carbon's tally keep the Diplomats lead in double figures for the first of the night. The lead grew to as many as 12 goals during the third and fourth quarters before the eventual 21-11 final.

F&M finished with a 39-21 advantage in shots and dominated the circle with a 25-8 edge in draw controls. Carbon collected 10 draws in addition to her goal, with Lambeth and Pittman winning the possession five times each. The Diplomats' defense featured three caused turnovers and four ground balls from Belle Dintino as Lucy Rogers, Cassilly, and Bizub also had multiple caused turnovers. Sara DiGiovanni made six saves in just under 53 minutes of work before Rachel Jones closed out the victory with two saves during the final 7:03 of regulation time.

Since first advancing to the CC Championship game in 2003, all of F&M's championship appearances have taken place against the Bullets. F&M is hosting the tournament for the ninth time in program history and will be looking for its 11 Centennial Conference Championship. The Diplomats have won three of the last four Centennial Conference Championships, including back-to-back titles during the most recent 2023 and 2024 seasons.