LANCASTER, Pa. – Continuing its daunting non-conference schedule on Wednesday, the No. 13 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team was tripped up by No. 18 Rowan in a 12-10 final. The Diplomats scored the first four goals of the game against the nationally-ranked Profs before Rowan rallied in the second half with its first lead of the game not coming until the 4:34 mark of the third quarter.
Seniors Devyn Crone and Lauren Pittman both registered hat tricks during the win, while Rowan had three different players find the back of the cage on a trio of occasions. Pittman's three goals gave her 200 for her career, making her the fifth player in program history to accomplish that feat. F&M held the lead in both (30-27) and shots on goal (19-18), but three advantage goals and three free-position goals proved key in Rowan's comeback.
The quick start was highlighted by the Diplomats scoring three times during the first 83 seconds of game action as Crone, Pittman, and Alexandra Proefrock got the team off to a great start. Pittman added her second goal of the game just under three and a half minutes into the contest to give the hosts their largest lead of the afternoon. Pittman would reach her milestone goal with a hat trick in hand just over 11 minutes into the contest as F&M took a 5-4 lead into the second quarter.
After the Profs tied the game at five, Franklin & Marshall scored three of the next four goals to take an 8-6 lead. Annie Marshall and Blaine Cosby added their names to the scoresheet before Crone's second goal helped the Diplomats to an 8-7 lead after 30 minutes.
Rowan took its first lead of the afternoon with a 3-1 advantage during the third quarter as part of a 5-2 second half advantage. Sophie Harris's goal gave the Diplomats a 9-8 lead off a pass from Crone that helped her finish with a team-high five points. Crone's goal to start the fourth quarter tied the game at 10-all with 13:16 left in regulation, but Rowan scored twice in the final five-plus minutes to pull out the late victory.
Blaine Cosby and Lucy Rogers both caused multiple turnovers to pace the defensive effort as Rowan turned the ball over 15 times compared to just 12 from F&M. Rachel Jones saw the majority of action in goal as she made eight saves during 34-plus minutes of game action. Pittman came away with six draw controls, while five different players tied for the team lead with two ground balls.
Women's lacrosse wraps up non-conference play this Saturday with its eighth nationally-ranked opponent in nine games versus No. 21 Trinity (Conn.). That contest is set for an 11 a.m. opening draw inside Shadek Stadium and will be part of a doubleheader with the men's team hosting Washington College at 2 p.m.
