BALTIMORE, Md.- The No. 12 Franklin & Marshall field hockey team (14-5, 7-3 Centennial Conference) was unable to overcome a 2-0 goal deficit in Thursday's 2-1 loss at No. 9 Johns Hopkins (15-4, 9-1 Centennial Conference) ending the team's Centennial Conference Tournament run in the semifinal round.
Hannah Fitzgerald registered the goal for Franklin & Marshall, while
Caitlin Hoover led the team in chance creation with three shots and two shots on goal.
Meghan Dole made four saves in the cage.
Chances were hard to come by for both sides in the first period, as the Blue Jays held a 3-1 advantage in shots. F&M's shot was a blocked
Maya Rorick attempt in the opening minutes, while all three of Hopkins' chances came in the final three minutes. Dole made her first stop on a shot that redirected off an F&M stick, while she was called into action on the first penalty corner on a shot heading for the top-right corner. The Diplomats nearly got a look at goal on the counterattack from that save, but a centered pass to Hoover was intercepted. The Blue Jays missed the target on one final chance in the final seconds.
Hopkins scored the game's opening goal two minutes into the second quarter from an intercepted pass in the midfield. From there, a through ball found a centrally-located attacker who dribbled past her defender and slotted the ball to the left of the closing Dole from around the penalty spot. Fitzgerald had the lone attempt for F&M in the second period, missing the far post on a shot from the right side of the circle, while Hopkins forced one save from two looks at goal. The Blue Jays held a 6-2 shot advantage through the opening 30 minutes.
Hopkins doubled their advantage early in the third quarter before Fitzgerald delivered her fourth goal in three games to get F&M back within a point heading into the final quarter. Hoover saw a backhanded shot saved to open chances in the quarter, while Hopkins just missed wide and left on their first attempt. The Blue Jays scored their second from a penalty corner, getting a redirect to a shot from the circle's edge. Two minutes later, Dole made an important stop at the near post from a couple of yards away to keep the deficit to two goals.
The F&M attack made that save count two minutes later, taking advantage of a one-player disadvantage for the Blue Jays to get back within a goal.
Bella Konchar initially had a shot from the circle blocked, but the deflection fell to Fitzgerald on the right side who turned and shot over the keeper to get F&M on the board. Lofgren was denied with 1:30 remaining, as she forced a save on her first-time effort from a Hoover square pass.
Hoover had a couple of shots blocked in a quiet fourth quarter for both sides. The Diplomats pulled Dole from the cage with a little over two minutes remaining, but they could generate a chance from a pair of penalty corner chances.
The sides were nearly inseparable statistically, as the Blue Jays held a 9-8 shot advantage and a 5-4 advantage on penalty corners.
The Diplomats end the Centennial Conference Tournament with a 14-5, 7-3 Centennial Conference record, marking the team's fifth-consecutive appearance in the Centennial Conference Tournament Semifinal round.
