LANCASTER, Pa.- The No. 7 Franklin & Marshall field hockey team (5-1) ended up on the losing side of a 1-0 double overtime duel against No. 20 Shenandoah (5-1) on Saturday afternoon.
Prior to the contest, the program's seniors,
Sarah Weitzman,
Brianna Coolican,
Caitlin Hoover,
Hannah Fitzgerald,
Ally Walk,
Aoife Nerz,
Caroline Krisko, and
Meghan Dole were recognized as part of Senior Day festivities.
Hoover registered eight of F&M's 15 shots including five shots on goal, while
Megan Dadio had three shots and two shots on goal. Dole made five saves from six Shenandoah shots on goal.
The Hornets generated three shots to one from the Diplomats in the first quarter including a sequence where Dole was forced into two saves on a Shenandoah fastbreak. Hoover had the one shot for F&M three minutes into the period when her close-range shot from a cross was denied.
Dadio had the best shot in the second quarter, as F&M maintained a game-best 6-0 shot advantage in the period. Hoover played an aerial ball back to Dadio unmarked at the keeper's right post, and her attempted tip-in came back off the post. Later in the period, Dadio had another close-range chance from a penalty corner denied from a Weitzman ball into the circle, while Hoover forced a near-post save with two minutes left in the half.
Hoover had another shot from five yards away saved five minutes into the third period, while Dole made a near-post save from a penalty corner five minutes after that. With a minute remaining, Lofgren nearly converted on a juggled backhanded shot from a few yards away but hit the side of the cage.
Dadio had the lone shot of the fourth period, generating a lot of pace on a penalty-corner shot from ten yards away, but she was denied by the Shenandoah goalkeeper to send the game to overtime.
After surviving a one-player disadvantage to begin the seven vs. seven play due to a yellow card, including Dole making a save on a redirected shot from the edge of the circle, Hoover generated two chances on goal, as her first close-range effort was saved alongside her attempt from the rebound.
The Hornets found the game-winning goal two minutes into the second overtime period. Dole made an initial save at her right post on a close-range chance, but the rebounded effort was put over her at the near post to hand F&M a first defeat of 2026.
The Diplomats return in a week's time to open the Centennial Conference schedule at Haverford on Saturday, September 26, at 12 p.m.
