MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Playing in another top-10 showdown, the No. 9 Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team was denied by No. 4 Wesleyan (Conn.) on Saturday during a 10-7 national showdown on the road. The Cardinals started the game with a 4-0 run and fended off several surges from the visiting Diplomats to hold on for the victory.

Preseason national player of the year Lauren Pittman led the attack with three goals, while the offense showed great balance overall with five players scoring a goal and four individuals tallying multi-point performances.

Wesleyan (Conn.) outshot the Diplomats 11-1 during the first 15 minutes to race out to the early advantage. However, F&M made the most of that chance as Sophie Harris scored with 40 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Annie Marshall followed that up with another goal midway through the second to cut the lead to 4-2.

The Cardinals extended their lead back to four, 6-2, before Pittman, Devyn Crone, and Blaine Cosby all scored in a span of less than six minutes to get the game back within a single goal during the third quarter. The Diplomats began to flip the script during the second quarter with a 10-3 edge in shots. Nevertheless, the Cardinals would hold on with four goals of their own during the fourth quarter of the 10-7 victory. Goals from Pittman made the score 8-6 and 10-7 during the 15 minutes of the attempted comeback bid.

After finding their rhythm during the second quarter and continuing that strong play in the second half, the Diplomats closed the game with most of the stats favoring the visiting side during the final 45 minutes. Belle Dintino snatched a team-high three draw controls, with Lucy Rogers, Sara DiGiovanni, and Cosby leading the way with three ground balls. DiGiovanni made six saves in goal, with Myranda Beebe leading the defense with three caused turnovers.

Women's lacrosse continues its early season road trips this Wednesday with a 6 p.m. opening draw at York (Pa.).