LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team raced out to a 7-1 advantage at Haverford on Wednesday night and never looked back during a 12-5 victory. With the win, the Diplomats (7-3, 2-0 CC) remained undefeated in Centennial Conference play, while handing the Fords (7-3, 1-1 CC) their first conference defeat on the young season.

Ben Dale had another strong game to pace the attack as he scored four goals and added two assists for a total of six points. Mason Montrella, Matt Marino, and Jack Luviano also scored multiple times in addition to dishing out assists, while Dylan Reese and Cole Morris were involved in the scoring. The defense was equally as strong, anchored by Teddy Scarborough stopping 16 of the 21 shots on goal he faced for a .762 save percentage.

Dale and Marino both scored twice during the 7-1 run to start the game that extended to the midpoint of the second quarter. Dale additionally set up Marino and Montrella during that stretch, with Luviano and Reese adding to the early charge with their goals. The only time Haverford scored back-to-back goals on the night came with three consecutive tallies between the second and third quarters, cutting the F&M lead to 7-4.

Montrella's second goal broke that small run and made the score 8-5 heading into the fourth quarter before four unanswered goals from the Diplomats punctuated the 12-5 final. Dale added two more goals during the final 15 minutes, with Luviano and Morris adding to the attacking efforts during the fourth quarter blanking.

Franklin & Marshall was very efficient on the attack as the Diplomats scored 12 times on just 22 shots on goal while holding a 40-37 advantage in total shot attempts. In addition to Scarborough's strong outing in the crease, Jackson Barnhill caused three turnovers, with Connor Traynor and Liam Timmins adding two more. Owen Hire finished with a team-high five ground balls as 10 different Diplomats registered multiple ground balls to help overcome a 14-7 face-off deficit.

Men's lacrosse continues Centennial Conference play this Saturday inside Shadek Stadium as the Diplomats welcome Washington College to Lancaster for a 2 p.m. start. The contest will be part of a doubleheader with the women's team who plays Trinity (Conn.) at 11 a.m. in non-conference action.