LANCASTER, Pa. - The Swarthmore College women's lacrosse team (8-4, 2-3) went toe-to-toe with No. 7 Franklin & Marshall deep into the second half, but the Dips eventually pulled away and defeated the Garnet 14-9 on Saturday afternoon from Tylus Field.

Junior Corinne Sommi led the Garnet offense with three goals and three assists. Junior Caroline Murphy led the defense with four ground balls and goalkeeper Michelle Ammerman made 19 saves.

The two teams exchanged goals early in the game. After the Diplomats scored the game's first two, the Garnet came roaring back with three of its own. Senior Nicole Vanchieri got the Garnet going with her 17th goal of the season. Freshman Lizzie Kolln added her 14th of the season, and junior Lucy Whitacre scored with just under 12:30 left the play to give the Garnet a 3-2 edge in the game. The Dips scored three more times, and Sommi completed a stellar first half with a goal of her own, as the Garnet entered the intermission down just 5-4.

The second half began much like the first with both teams again exchanging blows in a tight contest. Senior Annalise Penikis tied the game  once again (5-5) just over three minutes into the second half. After two more Diplomat goals made it 7-5, Sommi added her second of the game off of a free position shot to make it 7-6 with 21 remaining to play.

In the final 20 minutes, Franklin and Marshall justified its ranking, pulling away from the Garnet with four unanswered goals. Sommi found the net for the third time, Kolln for the second time, and sophomore Elyse Tierney scored her first, but it wasn't enough to overcome a resurgenant Diplomat offense. When the dust had settled, the Diplomats outscored the Garnet 14-9.

The Garnet defense battled all afternoon against a top-ten nationally-ranked offense. Murphy was superb, grabbing four ground balls and leading the Garnet defense. Ammerman was a force in net, stopping 19 of the 33 shots she faced in a complete game effort. Penikis added three gound balls and two caused turnovers.

F&M sophomore Brittney Jorgensen led all scorers with four goals, and junior Kelsey Hoffman stopped seven Garnet shots in net. The Diplomats out-shot the Garnet 40-22 on the afternoon.

The Garnet will look to bounce back against Muhlenberg on Wednesday, April 17 at Clothier Field.