LANCASTER, Pa. – A pair of third-quarter scores proved to be the difference as the Ursinus field hockey team fell 3-0 against No. 17 Franklin & Marshall College on Wednesday evening at Tylus Field.
 
 
With the loss, Ursinus falls to 6-8 overall and 2-5 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Diplomats improved to 12-3 on the season and 5-2 in conference play.
 
 
Ursinus tallied the first scoring chance of the contest in the fourth minute on a penalty corner, but junior Marie Brainard's shot missed wide of the goal. Franklin & Marshall answered at the 7:50-mark, capturing the first goal on a counterattack chance to gain an early 1-0 lead. A pass snuck past an Ursinus defender, leading to a two-on-one opportunity which F&M's Caitlin Hoover converted for her 20th goal of the season. The Bears responded with a pair of corners to close out the quarter, but the first chance missed wide, and the second was blocked. Both defenses limited the opportunities in the second stanza as senior netminder Adriana Palladinetti was credited with two saves over the final minute to keep the Bears deficit at one.
 
 
The Diplomats added a pair of insurance goals within the first two minutes of the second half to increase their lead to 3-0. On the first chance, a long pass snuck past the Bears defense before F&M's Ava Lofgren converted on a scoring chance in front of the cage. Next, within the circle, a bouncing shot found the back of the cage for Hoover's second goal of the contest. The Bears closed out the quarter, recording three consecutive shots but were unable to convert and entered the final stanza down by three. Palladinetti earned five saves for the Bears in the fourth quarter, including on a penalty stroke, but Ursinus was unable to overcome the deficit and fell 3-0.
 
 
Franklin & Marshall held a 16-7 advantage in shots, a 12-1 lead in shots on goal, with the Bears capturing a 5-0 edge in penalty corner opportunities. Palladinetti suffered the loss in goal behind nine saves which ranks her second most in a game this season. Franklin & Marshall's Meghan Dole earned the shutout victory behind one save.
 
 
The Bears return to action on Saturday, October 29th as they host Gettysburg College at noon from Snell Alumnae Field.