SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The No. 17 Swarthmore College men's lacrosse team fell in a hard-fought 14-12 battle against Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday, in a thrilling matchup between two of the conference's top teams. The Diplomats moved into a tie for third place in the standings, while the Garnet fell to fourth. 

Before the game, the program honored its senior class - Jayson Batie, Charlie Borthwick, Cooper Bucklan, Roe Crawford, Sam Ginsberg, Liam Halstead, Michael Hardiman, Will Kelly, Henry Kolyer, Danny Lowe, Matthew Martinez, Brandon Mickelson, Shane Nachshen, Murad Nashid, Ethan Poyton, and Aidan Rubio - as part of Senior Appreciation Day.

In a back-and-forth battle, both teams traded goals throughout the game, with Franklin & Marshall pulling ahead 9-5 in the second half. Swarthmore rallied to tie the game at 12-12 heading into the final three minutes of regulation, but the Diplomats broke the deadlock with a go-ahead goal at the 2:00 mark and added an insurance score in the closing seconds.

Michael Hardiman led the offense with a five-goal performance, while Ryder Maston added a hat trick with three goals. Clay Almgren turned in another strong outing, recording four assists and one goal to match Hardiman with a team-high five points.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Diplomats set the tone early with two goals in the first five minutes, but Hardiman responded with three straight scores to close out the quarter. Owen Hoffman set up the first tally after scooping up a loose ball and finding Hardiman in front. The senior followed with a goal off a failed Franklin & Marshall clear, then capped the run with a man-up finish off a feed from Rex Mabbs to give Swarthmore a 3-2 lead. Drew Tyson was excellent in the quarter, making five saves to fight off a quick start from the Diplomats. 

- Ronan Butler extended Swarthmore's lead with the opening goal of the second quarter. Although the Diplomats responded quickly, the Garnet maintained momentum with back-to-back one-timer finishes from Danny Lowe and Maston. Franklin & Marshall answered with two more goals, bookending a man-up score from Hoffman, as Swarthmore took a 7–5 lead into halftime.

- Franklin & Marshall opened the third quarter by trimming its deficit to one, but Swarthmore responded with goals from Ryder Maston and Clay Almgren to regain breathing room. The Diplomats then mounted their strongest run of the game, scoring three unanswered goals to tie it at 9-9. Maston delivered a clutch go-ahead answer in the final minute of the quarter, but Franklin & Marshall struck back with an equalizer just seven seconds before the horn, sending the game into the fourth tied at 10.

- The fourth quarter opened with more back-and-forth action. Franklin & Marshall struck first with a go-ahead goal at the 11:17 mark. After nearly six scoreless minutes, Hardiman netted the equalizer, but the Diplomats quickly responded to reclaim the lead. Hardiman answered again with a game-tying goal at 3:46, though Franklin & Marshall delivered the eventual game-winner two minutes later. The Diplomats added a final insurance goal with eight seconds left as Swarthmore pressed for a last-second turnover.

GARNET LEADERS
Points: Hardiman, Almgren 5
Goals: Hardiman 5
Assists: Almgren 5
Shots: Almgren 10
Ground Balls: Martinez 11
Caused Turnovers: Rice 3
Faceoffs: Martinez 14-21, McHenry 7-9
Saves: Tyson 14

UP NEXT
The Garnet (11-4, 4-3) host Franklin & Marshall College in their regular-season home finale on Saturday.