GETTYSBURG, Pa. – There was no joking around on April Fool's Day for the Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team as it defeated No. 9 Gettysburg by a 16-5 final in a matchup of Centennial Conference titans. During a game that was delayed twice by lightning, the only thing that brought more electricity to the battlefield was the Diplomats' fourth quarter attack as F&M scored 10 unanswered goals during the final 15 minutes to run away with the win.
Lauren Pittman and Myranda Beebe both had hat tricks to pace the attack, with Annie Marshall, Devyn Crone, and Alexandra Proefrock each scoring twice as nine different players rattled the back of the cage. Crone's night was especially significant as she added three assists to finish with a team-best five points in the process of registering her 100th career assist on the first helper. Crone is 10th player in program history to hit the century mark in assists.
While the offense kicked it into overdrive during the fourth quarter, the defense was strong through as Sara DiGiovanni faced just 12 shots on goal and turned away seven of those attempts. Helping to limit the Gettysburg chances was a 17-6 F&M advantage on the draw, led by 10 draw controls from Pittman. Fellow senior Belle Dintino added five more wins at the draw as the Diplomats recorded their fourth consecutive victory against the Bullets. Dintino led the defense with four ground balls while classmate Lucy Rogers caused a team-best two turnovers.
Beebe, Proefrock, Marshall, and Sophie Harris all scored during the first half as the Diplomats led 4-2 at the abbreviated halftime break. Beebe added her second after the Bullets tied the game midway through the fourth quarter, with Pittman pushing the lead back to two goals as Gettysburg never held the lead during Wednesday's contest.
However, the story was ultimately the fourth quarter as F&M took 13 shots that period and scored on 10 of those as a 6-5 edge grew to a 16-5 victory. Pittman and Crone both scored twice during that fourth quarter explosion as Beebe, Marshall, and Proefrock added to their multi-goal evenings. Rose Dunne and Sophia Geibel registered their goals during the 10-0 run, with Geibel's goal marking the first of the junior's career.
Franklin & Marshall's huge victory moves the Diplomats to 2-0 in the Centennial Conference. Haverford is the only other remaining undefeated team in conference play and those two squads will meet this Saturday, April 4. Opening draw at Haverford is set for 1 p.m. The Fords are currently receiving votes in the latest IWLCA National Poll.
