LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team dropped a 12-9 game against Hamilton in the championship game of its weekend tournament on Sunday. The Diplomats trailed just once during the first 39-plus minutes of game action and had the contest tied at eight heading to the fourth quarter before the Continentals scored four consecutive goals during the final period to secure the victory.
Eli Crystal led the offense with a hat trick as he scored three times. Matt Marino and Dillon Mannix both scored two goals, with Liam Timmins and Mason Montrella also finding the back of the cage. Ben Dale had a team-high four points on four assists after registering seven assists during the team's win versus Endicott on Saturday. Hamilton held a 38-31 edge in shots and doubled up the Diplomats in shots on goal (30-15), but 18 saves from Teddy Scarborough kept his team in the game all afternoon.
Crystal scored two goals during the first five minutes of game action to give his team the early lead, while the Diplomats held their largest advantage of the game at 3-1 after Mannix's goal just over five minutes into the contest. The Continentals tallied three straight goals for their only lead of the game at the conclusion of the first quarter. F&M countered with a 3-1 advantage during the second quarter to carry a 6-5 lead into the half.
Hamilton scored the first two goals of the second half to take just its second lead of the day, but Crystal's third tally of the day tied the game at seven. Hamilton made its largest run of the afternoon at the start of the fourth quarter while holding the Diplomats to their least amount of shots on goal during any period. F&M's lone goal in the fourth came during the final seconds of regulation to set the 12-9 final score.
The Continentals had their biggest statistical edge in the game at the face-off X where they won 20 of the 25 restarts which contributed to a 36-19 edge in ground balls. Owen Hire tied for the team lead in both ground balls (3) and caused turnovers (2). Ben Fenton matched his best for ground balls, with Nick Dotro causing a pair of turnovers. Even with limited chances, F&M was very efficient on the attack as it scored nine times on 15 shots on goals.
After posting a 5-3 record during the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Diplomats begin Centennial Conference play this coming Saturday, March 21 with a 12 p.m. faceoff scheduled at Ursinus.
