Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Kathy Delauney (Lutherville, MD/Roland Park Country School) scored a career-high six goals, leading fifth-ranked Gettysburg over No. 16 Franklin & Marshall 15-10 on Wednesday in a rematch of last season’s Centennial Conference (CC) women’s lacrosse championship game.

 Coming off a five-goal outing against Ursinus on Saturday, Delauney matched that total by the opening moments of the second half, then converted a free-position goal with 16:23 remaining to stall a Diplomat rally that had cut a seven-goal deficit to three in fewer than seven minutes. The win was the Bullets’ eighth straight against F&M (3-4, 1-1 CC), allowing Gettysburg (8-1, 3-0 CC) to square the all-time series at 17-17-1.

 Jenn Kelly (Westbury, NY/Carle Place) and Amy Farrell (Ambler, PA/Upper Dublin) added two goals apiece in the victory. Julika Blankenship (Crumpton, MD/Kent County) and Quinn Dougherty (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) chipped in with one goal and one assist each.

 Alexis O’Meara scored three times and added two assists for the Diplomats, whose four losses this season have all come to teams ranked among the top 10 in the latest Division III national poll. Reigning CC Player of the Week Kiki Foster recorded two goals and two assists for F&M.

 Relocated to the new turf of Shirk Field, the Bullets matched their entire scoring output of last year’s 8-6 championship-game victory over the Diplomats in just one half while racing to a 10-3 lead.

 After a tentative start in both offensive zones, Farrell opened the scoring by scooping a ground ball and finishing a coast-to-coast run at 8:54. Delauney scored from the top of the fan off a right-to-left dodge at 10:09, then tallied a nearly identical goal minutes later to give Gettysburg a 3-0 advantage.

 Eileen Keever put F&M on the board 43 seconds later off a feed from Sloan Giampa and O’Meara kept the Diplomats within 4-2 off a Foster assist at 17:14.

 The Bullets took control with four consecutive goals. Blankenship set up Cassidy Zappacosta (Monkton, MD/Maryvale Prep) at 18:28 and Delauney again ripped home a shot from the top of the zone to complete her hat trick at 21:50. Katie Lowe (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) finished a curl from behind the net and Delauney struck again at 25:10 to make it 8-2.

 F&M, however, had the last word of the first half. Christine Della Penna caused a Bullet turnover in the closing minute and Keever found the ground ball, ultimately setting up Foster with 21 seconds left to cut the deficit to five at halftime.

 Dougherty got into the act immediately after intermission, setting up Delauney 20 seconds into the second half, then scoring 17 seconds later to stake the Bullets to a 10-3 lead.

 Unfazed, the Diplomats poured in four goals over the next eight minutes, including free-position tallies by Keever, O’Meara and Foster, to cut the Gettysburg advantage to 10-7.

 F&M goalie Kim Pleasants, who had replaced starter Leslie Staines minutes earlier, stopped Delauney and Ellie Shihadeh (Malvern, PA/Conestoga) on free-position attempts to keep the deficit at three. Moments later, however, Delauney was fouled and subsequently cashed in from the 8-meter arc to start a burst of four straight Bullet goals in seven minutes that sealed the win.

 Blankenship and Kelly also converted free-position goals during the run, the latter giving Gettysburg a 14-7 lead with 9:24 remaining.

 Delauney has a team-high 24 goals this season, surpassing her previous single-season, career-high total of 20 set in 2003. Lowe, who stung the Diplomats for seven goals in last year’s regular-season meeting, contributed in other areas this time around, collecting five ground balls, four caused turnovers and three draw controls.

The Bullets continued to thrive at the 8-meter arc on Wednesday, going 3-for-6 to improve to 25-for-50 (50 percent) for the season.

 Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday at Washington (Md.). Game time is 1 p.m.
 

Score by Half	1	2	-	F
#16 Franklin & Marshall (3-4, 1-1 CC)	3	7	-	10
#5 Gettysburg (8-1, 3-0 CC)	8	7	-	15

Goals:

F&M: Alexis O’Meara 3, Kiki Foster 2, Eileen Keever 2, Kelly Cassels, Allison O’Meara, Beverly Menghetti.

Gettysburg: Kathy Delauney 6, Jenn Kelly 2, Amy Farrell 2, Cassidy Zappacosta, Julika Blankenship, Katie Lowe, Quinn Dougherty, Ellie Shihadeh.

Assists:

F&M: Foster 2, Alexis O’Meara 2, Keever, Sloan Giampa, Brenna Dolphin.

Gettysburg: Blankenship, Dougherty.

Shots: F 27, G 36.

Ground Balls: F 27, G 41.

Goalies: F (Leslie Staines – 34:01, 4 saves, 10 GA; Kim Pleasants – 25:59, 7 saves, 5 GA), G (Liz Borucki – 60:00, 6 saves, 10 GA).

Draw Controls: F 14, G 13.

Caused Turnovers: F 9, G 12.

Turnovers: F 21, G 18.

Fouls: F 16, G 21.

Free Position: F 3 of 6, G 3 of 6.
 

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