Box Score

LANCASTER, Pa. – Katie Lowe (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) scored a career-high seven goals to lead fifth-ranked Gettysburg past No. 15 Franklin & Marshall 21-10 in Centennial Conference (CC) women’s lacrosse action on Wednesday.

 Lowe, whose previous single-game career high had been three goals, found the net twice in the first half to stake the Bullets (9-0, 3-0 CC) to a 7-5 halftime lead, then tallied five of Gettysburg’s 14 second-half markers to cap her career day and help the visitors’ extend their program-best start.

 Amy Farrell (Ambler, PA/Upper Dublin) netted her third hat trick of the season and dished out three assists to finish with a career-high six points in the win. Megan Murphy (Wilton, CT/Wilton), averaging a conference-best 7.75 points per game, was held without a point for nearly 42 minutes, but still managed to finish with three goals and one assist.

 Eileen Keever scored a game-high three goals and dished out one assist for the Diplomats (4-3, 2-1 CC) while Alexis O’Meara added two goals and one assist.

 Despite matching the program’s single-game record for goals against F&M, the Bullets were in a battle until erupting for nine goals in the final 13 minutes.

 The Diplomats took a 3-1 lead in the opening 8 minutes, 45 seconds, thanks to goals 29 seconds apart from Keever and Danielle Jones, and the first marker from O’Meara.

 Kathryn Grassel (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) finished an uncontested run to the goal and Lowe converted a free-position attempt to knot the game at 3, but Emily Shaner restored F&M’s lead with a free-position goal of her own at 12:51.

 Cassidy Zappacosta (Monkton, MD/Maryvale Prep) corralled the ensuing draw control and scored off a half-field run to tie the game at 4. Zappacosta then set up Farrell’s go-ahead goal at 18:38 to make it 5-4, giving Gettysburg a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

 Twenty-seven seconds later, Lowe finished another long solo run for a 6-4 lead. Lauren Paul’s unassisted goal at 23:58 pulled the Diplomats within a goal for the final time, but Grassel took a feed from Farrell and shoveled a shot past Kamissa Mort for a 7-5 Gettysburg edge.

Bullet goalie Liz Borucki (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) preserved the two-goal advantage, making one of her seven saves on a shot by Jones in the final seconds of the half.

 Gettysburg kept its host at arms length throughout most of the second half before exploding down the stretch to set the lopsided final margin.

 Ashley Froman’s (Glen Arm, MD/Loch Raven) first goal of the season off a goal-mouth scramble capped a quick 3-0 burst to start the half that made it 10-5 with 25:38 remaining. Keever and Laura Fine answered with unassisted goals to pull the Diplomats within 3, but Murphy finally broke into the scoring column on a free-position goal at 41:38 and Lowe needed exactly nine seconds to convert the ensuing draw control into her third goal of the game and make it 12-7.

 Keever set up Kristen Foster at 42:03 and O’Meara netted her second goal of the game minutes later to cut the deficit to 12-9, but Ellie Shihadeh (Malvern, PA/Conestoga) and Lowe scored in a span of 11 seconds to touch off a 9-1 run over the game’s final 12:43.

 Julika Blankenship (Crumpton, MD/Kent County) chipped in with two goals and two assists for the Bullets, who also scored 21 goals against F&M in the first-ever meeting between the programs in 1975.

 Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday in a battle of undefeated CC foes when the Bullets host 9-0 Washington. Game time is 1 p.m.
 

Score by Half	1	2	-	F
#5 Gettysburg (9-0, 3-0 CC)	7	14	-	21
#15 Franklin & Marshall (4-3, 2-1 CC)	5	5	-	10

Goals:

Gettysburg: Katie Lowe 7, Megan Murphy 3, Amy Farrell 3, Julika Blankenship 2, Kathryn Grassel 2, Cassidy Zappacosta, Jess Hanson, Ashley Froman, Ellie Shihadeh.

F&M: Eileen Keever 3, Alexis O’Meara 2, Kristen Foster, Danielle Jones, Lauren Paul, Emily Shaner, Laura Fine.

Assists:

Gettysburg: Farrell 3, Blankenship 2, Zappacosta, Murphy, Froman, Grassel.

F&M: Fine 2, Alexis O’Meara, Allison O’Meara, Keever.

Shots: Gettysburg 40, F&M 28.

Ground Balls: Gettysburg 35, F&M 21.

Goalies: Gettysburg (Liz Borucki – 60:00, 7 saves, 10 GA), F&M (Kamissa Mort – 60:00, 9 saves, 21 GA).

Draw Controls: Gettysburg 23, F&M 10.

Caused Turnovers: Gettysburg 11, F&M 3.

Turnovers: Gettysburg 19, F&M 11.

Fouls: Gettysburg 16, F&M 9.

Free Position: Gettysburg 3 of 6, F&M 2 of 7.

Attendance: 100.

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