LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team officially punched its ticket to the Centennial Conference Tournament on Senior Day as the Diplomats defeated Washington College by a 17-8 score Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats never trailed and were leading 9-6 at the half before going on an 8-1 run during the second half to lead by as many as 10 goals late in the fourth quarter.
Senior Lauren Pittman and Annie Marshall led the Diplomats with five goals each. Senior Devyn Crone added a hat trick, with classmate Myranda Beebe also registering a goal. Sophie Harris added two goals in the contest, while Riley Ng-Knepper scored for the second consecutive game. Senior Sara DiGiovanni made seven saves for the Diplomats.
F&M outshot the Shorewomen 43-22 throughout the contest and doubled up its conference foes in shots on goal with a 30-15 advantage. F&M was outstanding on the ride as it limited Washington College to just 13 clears in 23 attempts in addition to a 16-11 advantage in draw controls. Addy McIlvain led the team with six draw control wins, as Rose Dunne and senior Belle Dintino each added four more. Lauren Pittman caused four turnovers and added four ground balls in transition.
The Diplomats were leading 5-2 after 15 minutes as Crone scored two of her goals during the quick start. Marshall tallied twice during the second quarter as the Diplomat advantage grew to 9-6 before the break. Pittman starred for the Diplomats in the third as she scored twice while F&M did not concede a goal and was leading 13-6 heading into the final 15 minutes. Pittman once again scored in all four quarters, while Marshall had her second multi-goal period of the afternoon as the Diplomats extended the lead to double digits for a brief time of the eventual 17-8 final.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Diplomats are currently in a three-way tie for first place in the Centennial Conference standings. F&M will be on the road twice this upcoming week. The first of those contests will be Wednesday, April 22 as the Diplomats travel to Ursinus for a 7 p.m. opening draw under the lights. The regular season wraps up next Saturday with a 1 p.m. start at Muhlenberg.
