LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team is headed back to the Centennial Conference Championship after a 14-12 victory over Gettysburg inside Shadek Stadium on Friday afternoon. Much like the regular season contest, a huge run paved the way to victory as F&M scored six consecutive goals over a span of nearly 15 minutes from the end of the first half to late in the third quarter.
Taking care of the Bullets in the semifinals, Gettysburg will miss the annual Centennial Conference Championship against the Diplomats for the first time since the 2002 season. F&M will now battle top-seeded Haverford on Sunday in a 1 p.m. opening draw. The Fords escaped Swarthmore with a 14-13 overtime victory to advance to the championship game in their first time as the top overall seed. Haverford claimed a 13-8 victory over F&M when these teams met back in early April.
In a match up of two of the most prolific point producers in Centennial Conference history, Lauren Pittman made the most headlines as she scored five goals to lead the Diplomats back to the conference championship. Sophie Harris, Alexandra Proefrock, and Myranda Beebe also tallied multiple goals in the winning effort. Gettysburg countered with a more balanced approach as eight different players scored, but F&M did a good job of keeping Julia Daly in check with just two goals.
The contest was a physical battle as 14 cards were issued, resulting in 10 player advantage goals. Friday's rivalry renewal saw six different tied scores before the game reached seven-all with 2:46 remaining in the first half. Gettysburg made the most of its advantages, scoring four such goals during the first half. Pittman scored four of her goals during the first half, with her final tally of the opening 30 minutes giving the hosts an 8-7 edge at the break.
Although it was just a single goal margin, the Diplomats certainly made the most of their momentum that was built by carrying the lead into the half as F&M started the third quarter with five straight goals. Crone, Pittman, Beebe, Proefrock, and Rose Dunne all added their names to the score sheet as the Diplomats' lead grew to 13-7.
Gettysburg took a timeout to stop the momentum and the Bullets certainly responded as they scored five straight of their own to make the score 13-12 with 9:58 left in regulation time. Franklin & Marshall had a chance to go back up by two, but a big save kept the game within a single goal and gave the Bullets possession with eight minutes to play. In perfect timing, Sophia Geibel came up with a huge caused turnover on defense that eventually led to Sophie Harris scoring with 5:46 on the game clock off the pass from Sumi Heffernan. The two goal lead held up for the postseason victory and 14-12 final.
Sara DiGiovanni finished with seven saves to pick up the victory, while the Bullets' goalies combined for six stops. Both teams finished with exactly 24 shots. Belle Dintino had a huge day on the defensive end of the field as she caused six turnovers, scooped up six ground balls, and snagged eight draw controls.
The Diplomats have won the last three Centennial Conference Championships and now have a chance to be the first group since the Class of 2011 to win a Centennial Conference title in four straight years. The Diplomats' school record is five consecutive titles from the 2007 to 2011 campaigns. The Centennial Conference Championship with Haverford will ultimately decide the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
