Box Score
(Carlisle, Pa.) – The #2-ranked Dickinson men's lacrosse team held off a determined Franklin & Marshall squad on Saturday, posting a, 12-10, win at Biddle Field. The Red Devils match the school record with a perfect 8-0 mark in the Centennial Conference, while raising their overall record to 15-0.
The Red Devils showed a lot of poise and composure in the regular season finale, as the Diplomats made them work for the victory. The Red Devils opened with a pair of goals but F&M countered with four straight.
Dickinson found the net, right off the opening face-off. Carter Moore (Virginia Beach, Va./Norfolk Academy) claimed possession and Brian Gleason (Darien, Conn./Darien) finished an assist from career record holder, Matt Cherry (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Radnor), just 37 seconds into the game.
First-year Chris Menard (South Hadley, Pa./South Hadley) scored at the 13:05 mark to put the Devils in front, 2-0.
Billy Kempner scored once and tallied two assists as the Diplomats pulled even with goals at the 3:57 mark and with just 21 seconds remaining in the first quarter, then added two extra-man goals to take a 4-2 lead on Jamie McCulloch's second of the game.
Brian Cannon (Reisterstown, Md./Loyola Blakefield) put away an assist from Gleason and Cherry evened the score with an unassisted goal at the 3:48 mark. Tyler White (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) put Dickinson in front with 2:16 to play in the half.
F&M came back with goals at the 1:20 mark and with just eight seconds on the clock to lead, 6-5, at the break.
The Devils struck seven seconds into the third as Cannon finished another assist from Gleason as Moore won the face-off and two quick passes later, the Devils were on the board, tying the game, 6-6.
Kempner put the Diplomats on top one more time, scoring off an assist from Tim Gaines with 11:41 on the clock. Moore scooped up the face-off and found the net, seven seconds later with the equalizer.
Cherry struck again with an assist from Menard, and Gleason matched a Tristan Miller goal with a pair to end the third quarter. Cannon found Gleason at the 7:57 mark and Will Scott (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) dished out the assist at 6:48 on an extra-man goal, just over a minute later.
The teams traded goals in the fourth quarter for the final of 10-8. Christian Beitel (Newtown, Conn./Newtown) threaded a needle at the 12:06 mark before Chad and Philip Gamble connected for F&M.
Cherry scored off another Menard assist, and Tommy Wenk made the final, 12-10, at the 2:56 mark. The Red Devil defense dodged a pair of solid attacks down the stretch, and senior Greg Hanley (Laurel Hollow, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) was outstanding in goal, making 14 saves.
Gleason scored three goals and handed out two assists. Cherry had a hat-trick as well, handing out one assist.
The Red Devil defense was solid all day while the man-down unit stalled 4-of-6 opportunities, including three on the fourth quarter. Jack O'Connor (New Vernon, N.J./Delbarton) caused a pair of turnovers and controlled four ground balls, playing a key role in transition as well.
Senior Brandon Palladino (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) picked-up three ground balls and caused three turnovers, including a key take-away on the final face-off after F&M's 10th goal.
Cameron Setian made eight saves for Franklin & Marshall (10-5, 6-2). Kempner led the way with two goals and three assists.
The Red Devils earn the top-seed on the Centennial Conference playoffs, while F&M will be the #2-seed. The Devils will host #4-Washington College on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, while F&M will host Gettysburg at a time to be determined. The final will be at the highest remaining seed on Saturday.
