CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team certainly made the most of its Florida game day on Wednesday as the Diplomats rolled to a 14-6 win against Rhodes and followed that up with a 15-10 victory over Shenandoah.
Franklin & Marshall 14, Rhodes 6
Sydney Lowe led the five F&M players who registered multiple goals during the morning win versus Rhodes. She recorded a hat trick, while Maddy Birch, Lydia Cassilly, Gillian Brennan, and Abby Gravel also tallied multiple times throughout the winning effort. Lane Lambeth, Lauren Pittman, Sarah Delaney, and Claire Book also rattled the back of the cage to start the day. The Diplomats were up 8-2 at the half versus Rhodes before cruising to the 14-6 final.
Alyssa Moran got the start in goal for the Diplomats and made six saves before Molly Donatelli went untested in her first action since seeing time during the nationally-ranked win versus Messiah. Delaney Liston led the team with three ground balls, while Pittman and Lambeth each added two more. Game ball winners for the Diplomats were Gravel - for her multi-goal outing - and Book - for tallying her first career goal.
The matchup against Rhodes was a contest between two perennial qualifiers to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to the Diplomats making the national tournament 26 times in program history, including every season under head coach Mike Faith, Rhodes has been in the national tournament every year since 2015 as the multi-time defending champions of the Southern Athletic Association.
Franklin & Marshall 15, Shenandoah 10
Returning the field just a few hours after its first win of the day, F&M went into the halftime break up 9-6 against Shenandoah and added to that lead during the final 30 minutes in the eventual 15-10 final. First-year Lauren Pittman exploded for a season-high five goals in the second game, marking her third hat trick of the young season. After registering a hat trick of her own during the first game, Sydney Lowe added two more goals to finish with five on the day. Lane Lambeth was also a multi-goal scorer with two tallies, including one a free-position goal.
Just like the first game against Rhodes, Franklin & Marshall had nine goal scorers versus Shenandoah. Also scoring single goals during the second game after tallying in the first were Maddy Birch, Lydia Cassilly, Gillian Brennan, Abby Gravel, and Claire Book. Madison Bray additionally made her way onto the scoresheet during Wednesday afternoon's contest. Mary Pat McKenna received the game ball for her work on the defense that included two caused turnovers and one ground ball. Delaney Liston led the team with three forced turnovers, while Alyssa Moran made 10 saves throughout her 60 minutes in goal.
While getting a few more days to enjoy the Florida weather, the Diplomats will be off from competition until the team's Centennial Conference opener next Saturday, March 25 against Muhlenberg. That contest will be part of a doubleheader with the men's game vs. Haverford to follow. Opening draw in the women's CC opener is slated for 12 p.m. inside Shadek Stadium.