LANCASTER, Pa. – The 16th-ranked Washington and Lee women's lacrosse team fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1990, as it dropped a 5-1 decision to third-ranked Franklin & Marshall on Saturday at Tylus Field.

The Diplomats (2-0) grabbed a 1-0 lead just 2:10 into the contest on an unassisted goal by sophomore attacker Paige Moriarty.  However, both defenses proved strong, as the teams could manage just nine combined shots (F&M 7, W&L 2) in the first half of action.  The Diplomats added a scored goal, this one from junior attacker Natalie Delinsky, to take a 2-0 lead into the halftime break.

Defense continued to be the theme for the second stanza as neither team could dent the scoreboard until junior attacker Claire Jackson gave F&M a 3-0 lead with a goal at 16:11.  Junior attacker Gabby Frank added a tally at 14:14 and sophomore midfielder Katie Groenke scored with 5:22 left for a 5-0 lead.  The Generals finally broke through with a goal by sophomore attacker Jess Castelo (Red Bank, N.J. / Lawrenceville School) off an assist from senior attacker Melissa Coggins (St. John's, Fla. / Bartram Trail) with 58 seconds left.

Franklin & Marshall held a 25-7 advantage on shots and a 14-11 edge on ground balls.  W&L won 7-of-8 draws, but committed 21 turnovers as opposed to nine for the Diplomats.

First-year goalkeeper Ellie Aburn (Towson, Md. / Notre Dame Prep) took the loss in goal for W&L, making 13 saves in 60 minutes of action.  First-year midfielder Haley Tucker (Manakin-Sabot, Va. / St. Catherine's School) had a strong field game, recording three draw controls and one ground ball.

Sophomore Danielle Harrington played the duration in goal for F&M, posting four stops.

Washington and Lee returns to action next Saturday when it travels to ninth-ranked Salisbury for a 1:00 pm contest.

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