LEXINGTON, Va. – The 19th-ranked Franklin & Marshall men's lacrosse team opened an 8-0 lead and cruised to a 15-5 victory over 18th-ranked Washington and Lee on Saturday afternoon at Shadek Stadium.
 
The Generals (1-3) played even with the Diplomats (2-1) for the first nine minutes and change, with neither team finding the goal until F&M junior midfielder A.J. Rigsby broke a scoreless tie with a goal at the 5:16 mark of the first period.  The Diplomats added two more tallies before the end of the period and carried a 3-0 advantage into the second quarter.
 
Sophomore attackman Blake Target and sophomore midfielder Will DeMuth each scored two goals in a five-goal second period for F&M.  Despite firing 15 shots at goal in the opening half, the Generals didn't get on the board until 22 seconds remained, when senior midfielder Jack Ware (Baltimore, Md. / Towson) scored man-up off a feed from senior midfielder Hudson Hamill (Darien, Conn. / Darien).  The Diplomats carried an 8-1 lead into the intermission.
 
The lead grew to 10-1 in the first five minutes of the second half, before back-to-back goals brought the Generals back to within 10-3.  Junior midfielder Ben Mulholland (Sewickley, Pa. / Sewickley Academy) scored off a feed from Hamill at 7:17 and junior attackman Stuart Greenspon (Aldie, Va. / Episcopal) scored unassisted at 5:15.  However, F&M closed the quarter with two straight scores for a 12-3 lead entering the final quarter.
 
Ware scored two goals in the fourth quarter, including his second man-up score of the game with 14:01 left to play.  His second goal pulled the Generals to within 13-5 with 10:35 remaining, but the Diplomats tacked on two more tallies in the final 8:32 to claim their ninth win in the last 11 meetings between the two schools.
 
For the game, F&M held a 39-35 edge in shots and a 35-30 advantage in ground balls.  The Generals won 12-of-22 faceoffs, but couldn't overcome 20 total turnovers.
 
Ware led the way with three goals, while Hamill dished a pair of assists.  Junior Jack Taylor (Baltimore, Md. / Saint Paul's) played all 60 minutes in goal and registered six saves.
 
Target finished with four goals and Keating produced one goal and six assists.  First-year midfielder George LeBoeuf added three goals and one assist.  First-years Sage Garito (7) and Eric Mueller (8) equally split time in goal, combining to make 15 saves.  Garito earned the win.
 
Washington and Lee returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Mary Washington for a 3:30 pm contest.