Box Score

LANCASTER, Pa. – Gettysburg College and Franklin & Marshall College produced another epic finale in the Centennial Conference Championship with the fifth-ranked Bullets coming away with a 6-5 victory over the fourth-ranked Diplomats at Tylus Field.
 
Gettysburg (16-2) captured its record 10th Centennial title and fourth in the last five years. With the win, the Bullets will make their 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship by claiming the conference's automatic bid.
 
Franklin & Marshall (18-2) defeated Gettysburg on Clark Field for the CC title last spring and the Diplomats claimed a five-goal decision on the Bullets' home turf just 11 days ago. On Tylus Field, however, it was Gettysburg's turn to shine.
 
"It was absolutely exciting," said Head Coach Carol Cantele '83, who has led the team to all 10 Centennial titles since 2000. "Winning the title at home or at F&M didn't matter. It was the greatest thing seeing the complete joy and enthusiasm shared by our players after winning the game."
 
The goalies set the stage for a defensive showdown with F&M keeper Danielle Harrington picking up a save on Gettysburg's first shot and junior Shannon Keeler (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) returning the favor with a stop of her own on the Diplomats' first offensive possession.
 
The hosts netted the game's first goal on a free-position shot by Gabby Frank just under five minutes into the game. The next three goals came in a flurry with sophomore Maggie Welsh (Rye, N.Y./Holy Child) scoring at 22:37 and Maddie Hughes coming right back with a goal for F&M 23 seconds later. The Bullets tied the game 2-2 on a goal by sophomore Katie Landry (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) at 21:38.
 
Defense reigned over the next 18 minutes of action. Neither team found the goal as the goalkeepers combined for six saves with the defenders posting four caused turnovers.
 
Gettysburg eventually broke through the wall with sophomore Katie Willis (Westminster, Md./Notre Dame Prep) finding the seam past Harrington with 3:43 before the break.
 
After another save by Harrington kept the Bullets off the board, Paige Moriarty tied the game 3-3 with 2:03 on the clock.
 
Franklin & Marshall won the final draw control of the half, but a turnover led to a ground ball pick-up for sophomore Ali Gorab (Southport, Conn./Ludlowe). The Bullets patiently worked their offense in the final minute of play and it paid off with Landry grabbing a pass in front of the cage and tossing it in with one second left.
 
At the beginning of the second half, Gettysburg put three shots on goal with Harrington turning them all aside. Keeler stopped the first shot she saw, but Franklin & Marshall recovered the carom and came back with a goal by Moriarty to tie the game 4-4.
 
A turnover by the Diplomats set up another methodical offensive set for Gettysburg which ended with an entry pass by Willis to Maggie Connolly (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) for the front-porch score to give the Bullets a 5-4 lead with 16:28 to play.
 
Twelve minutes went by as the teams tried to find an opening of some sort in the defensive fronts. Harrington stopped a shot by senior Amanda Borucki (Westminster, Md./North Carroll) at 5:29, but Baigelman raced to the loose ball to maintain possession for the Orange and Blue. The effort paid off as the senior attacker came in from the left base-line and slipped the ball past Harrington for a 6-4 lead with 4:03 to play.
 
The Diplomats came right back with Hughes cutting the deficit in half with 3:16 left. F&M won the next draw, but Connolly swiped it out of the stick of Claire Jackson and Gettysburg claimed possession. The Bullets cleanly evaded the Diplomats for the game's final three minutes of play.
 
"It was a game that we really had to keep composure and be serious throughout," noted Cantele, "but it was a big sigh of relief and feeling of a job well done when it was over. We knew what we were capable of and we didn't show that the first time we played them. It was a great feeling being able to show this is who we really are."
 

Gettysburg held Franklin & Marshall to its lowest shot total of the season at 16. The Bullets fired off 27 shots and finished with a 7-5 lead in draw controls. The Diplomats had won 18-of-29 draws in the regular season meeting.
 
"The draws were a huge difference maker in this game," said the coach. "We put a big emphasis on that in our preparation for this game. We made it our utmost priority and we were going to win the battle on the ground."
 
Landry finished with a pair of goals, while Baigelman, Connolly, and Willis each contributed a goal and an assist. Connolly also posted three draw controls and two caused turnovers.
 
Gorab was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after helping Gettysburg's defense hold its two playoff foes to a combined nine goals. She tallied two draw controls and a ground ball in the title game. Keeler finished with five saves.
 
Harrington totaled 13 saves for Franklin & Marshall. Moriarty and Hughes each produced two goals, while Grace Saliba dished out two assists. Vanessa Budd recorded three caused turnovers.
 
The NCAA playoff field will be announced Sunday night with opening games slated for Saturday, May 14. For now, however, Gettysburg will savor today's victory.
 
"We'll start getting to work once we see the bracket," said Cantele. "We'll enjoy it tonight for sure and a little bit tomorrow morning and then we'll get right back to work."