ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall field hockey team – ranked No. 16 in the latest NFHCA national poll – continued its torrid offensive pace to start the 2025 season with a 7-0 win at Elizabethtown on Wednesday night. The seven goals marked the first time since a 7-0 victory versus Eastern during the 2018 season that F&M had scored that many times in a single game. The defense was equally up to the challenge as it posted its first shutout of the season to move to a perfect 4-0 on the year.
Caitlin Hoover posted a hat trick to pace the F&M offense, with Keira Boensch, Megan Dadio, Molly Donadoni, and Ava Lofgren also finding the back of the cage. Hoover's hat trick was the third of her career after also scoring three times against Alvernia and Ursinus during the 2023 season. She now has 23 goals for her career. Donadoni's goal was the first of her career, while the tallies from Boensch and Dadio were their first of the 2025 campaign.
Franklin & Marshall needed just 1:23 before Hooever got her huge offensive night started. Donadoni got into the act just under 10 minutes later. The Diplomats doubled their lead during the second quarter behind Hoover's second of the night which was assisted by Hannah Fitzgerald. After assisting on the second goal, Dadio tallied the team's fourth goal just under 90 seconds after Hoover had tallied her second off the feed from Maya Rorick.
It was another quick strike that started the third quarter as Boensch scored just under four minutes into the second half. Hoover would ultimately cap her hat trick with less than four minutes to play in the third period. Lofgren put away F&M's final goal of the evening during the 52nd minute of game action.
Franklin & Marshall had a very efficient night as the Diplomats scored on over half of their shots on goal and finished with a cumulative 18-6 advantage in total shots. In the few opportunities that the Blue Jays had, reigning Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week Meghan Dole made four saves in just under 53 minutes of action before Sara Davis came on to complete the combined shutout.
Field hockey will make its second road trip of the week when the Diplomats travel to Catholic this Saturday for a 1 p.m. opening pass in Washington, D.C.
