NCAA Tournament Second Round: Cabrini University Cavaliers (16-3, 9-0 CSAC) vs. #5 Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (16-4, 8-1 CC)
Sunday, May 14, 1pm
Lancaster, PA

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What's at Stake
The Cavaliers and Diplomats will battle it out for a trip to the NCAA third round where they will face either #10 Trinity College (CT) or Babson College.

The Cavaliers are no stranger to the NCAA Tournament as they will make their sixth trip in a row and 14th overall after earning the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) automatic bid with a decisive 20-9 victory over Marywood University. 

No. 5 F&M owns an impressive NCAA postseason pedigree in their own right as the Diplomats have qualified for the tournament 19 times, including 11 of the past 12 seasons and five in a row. They reached the summit of the Division III women's lacrosse world in 2007 and 2009 as they were crowned National Champions. 

How They Got Here: Diplomats finish 5-3 against ranked opponents
F&M took the Centennial Conference title last Sunday to earn the automatic bid, but it was how they took the crown that was impressive. After going 8-1 against conference opponents, with their only conference loss coming against then #5 Gettysburg College by a 12-6 final, the Diplomats flipped the script on the Bullets in the conference championship game en route to a 7-6 double overtime victory. 

The nonconference schedule was were the Diplomats earned their keep, however as they faced a total of six ranked opponents outside of the Centennial, including (then ranked) #2 SUNY Cortland, #5 Middlebury College, #10 Messiah College, #10 Salisbury University, #11 York College and #14 Catholic University. F&M went 4-2 against those six schools with their only losses coming from Messiah (17-11) and Catholic (8-7 OT).  

How They Got Here: Cavaliers tie program records with 16 wins
The Blue and White will make their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth in a row, after earning the Colonial States Athletic Conference's automatic bid.  Cabrini tied a team record with its 16th win last Saturday, as they topped Marywood 20-9 in the CSAC championship.

The Blue and White rode an eight game winning streak in the season's first half and followed that  with a seven game streak to cap the year. Key victories for the Cavs include nonconference wins against Scranton University, Swathmore College, Haverford College and Capital University. 
 
Last Meeting: Cabrini suffers setback in 2009 season opener (3/4/09, Lancaster, PA)
The Cavaliers quickly found themselves in a two-goal hole after the #3 ranked Diplomats twice found the back of the cage less than three minutes into the contest. However, Cabrini responded with a 3-0 run, securing a 3-2 advantage at the 23:57 mark. 

Franklin & Marshall closed out the opening half on an 8-3 run, surging to a 10-6 advantage at the intermission. 

The Diplomats kept the Cavaliers off the scoreboard in the second half, allowing just seven shots. The Franklin & Marshall attack registered 28 shots in the closing period, scoring seven goals en route to a 17-6 final.  

Cabrini Last Time Out: Cavaliers capture sixth straight CSAC title (5/6/17, Radnor, PA)
The Cavs continued their dominance of the Colonial States Athletic Conference, as they claimed their sixth consecutive CSAC title with a dominant 20-9 win over the Marywood University Pacers.

Sophomore Liz Hoeffner was named the game's Most Valuable Player after recording 10 goals in the win, converting 4-5 free position shots. Senior Allie Vallen also posted a career day, with a career high eight points on four goals and four helpers.

Sophomore Avery Murphy paired three goals and three assists with a career high 11 draw controls.  The trio of senior Jess Breuning, junior Sasha Wozniak and freshman Lauren Hughes posted two points each, combining for three goals and three assists.

Cabrini's defensive effort caused 17 of Marywood's 23 turnovers on the day, with junior Gabby Lee joining classmate Jackie Neary and sophomore Katie Kucia with three each.

Franklin & Marshall Last Time Out: Diplomats rally late to secrure CC title (5/3/17, Scranton, PA)
Junior Katie Groenke's unassisted goal in the second overtime period lifted Franklin & Marshall to its sixth Centennial Conference (CC) Championship, and second in the last three years, with a dramatic 7-6 2OT victory against (then) #3 Gettysburg last sunday. 

Sophomore Maddie Hughes recorded a hat trick on four shots, to go along with two ground balls, two draw controls, and three caused turnovers, to garner Tournament MVP honors. Following Hughes' three-goal effort, Junior Paige Moriarty tallied two goals and one assist while senior Gabby Frank was credited with a pair of helpers. Senior Vanessa Budd and junior Danielle Harrington, along with Hughes, all collected two ground balls, while freshman Melissa Judge registered three draw controls.

5 Factors for Cabrini

• Murphy (T21) and Hoeffner (T39) both rank inside the NCAA's top 40 in goals, as they have posted 65 and 61, respectively. 
• The Blue and White cause an average of 13.74 turnovers per game, the ninth best mark in the country. 
• The Cavs collect an average of more than 15 draw controls per game (15.16), 21st in the country.
• Seven Cavaliers have recorded at least 20 goals.
• Hoeffner has scored 15 goals over her last two games, notching a career high 10 goals in the championship game against Marywood.

5 Factors for Franklin & Marshall

• The Diplomats allow an average of just six goals per game, the 11th best mark in the country.
• F&M ranks fourth in the country in turnovers per game, giving their opponents just 10.6 freebies on average.
• Moriarty ranks 19th in Division III with 91 points on the season.
• F&M is currently riding a seven game win streak, including a 7-6 2OT win over #3 Gettysburg in their last matchup.
• In their four wins against ranked opponents, the Diplomats have outscored their opposition by a 44-27 margin. 

 

	TALE OF THE  TAPE
Cabrini		#5 Franklin & Marshall
16-3, 9-0 CSAC	Record	16-4, 8-1 CC
294	Goals	238
123	Assists	121
683	Shots	510
288	Draw Controls	229
468	Ground Balls	273
261	Caused Turnovers	159
.423	Free Position Percentage	.427
.401	Save Percentage	.500
	TEAM LEADERS
Avery Murphy (65)	Goals	Paige Moriarty (48)
Allie Vallen (23)	Assists	Paige Moriarty (43)
Avery Murphy (86)	Points	Paige Moriarty (91)
Avery Murphy (98)	Draw Controls	Melissa Judge (60)
Jess Breuning (56)	Ground Balls	Vanessa Budd (28)
Jackie Neary (36)	Caused Turnovers	Vanessa Budd (29)
Megan Barlow (.420)	Save Percentage	Danielle Harrington (.505)