WASHINGTON, D.C. – Catholic women's lacrosse fell in a tough battle against No. 9 Franklin & Marshall on Friday evening at Carlini Field. The Cardinals were able to hold the Diplomats scoreless in the fourth quarter, but a big opening half helped the visitors claim a 13-5 win.

The Cardinal offense was led by Tori Wilsey and Izzy Fiore, who each recorded two goals apiece. Annie Galarza also found the back of the cage to help Catholic finish the contest with five goals. Jessie Lee added two assists to round out the point tallies.

On the defensive end, Maddie McDevitt led the squad with three caused turnovers while scooping two ground balls. Lee also helped the Cardinals gain possession on several occasions with four ground balls and two draw controls. Other impressive plays were made by Lindsay Sawyer who recorded three ground balls, Caroline Gaines who won five draw controls, and Ariana Bransfield who won four draw controls.

Catholic faced a four-goal deficit well into the second quarter but was able to cut it to three at the 10:52 mark thanks to a Fiore goal off a Lee assist. The Diplomats proceeded to go on a four goal scoring run before Wilsey responded with the last goal of the half. 

The Cardinals added three goals in the third quarter while Franklin & Marshall tallied five. Galarza and Fiore scored within a minute of each other to bring the Cardinals' goal total to four with 8:59 remaining in the quater. Wilsey added one more to end the third, but the Diplomats held a 13-5 lead heading into the final frame. A defensive battle in the fourth did not allow a single goal to cross the goal line. 

Despite the deficit, Catholic recorded nine more shots than their opponent and won six more draw controls. Franklin & Marshall's goalie Sara DiGiovanni made 12 saves on the day including six in the third to help her team remain in front. 

Catholic will continue its stretch of games against ranked opponents with a trip out west for a Wednesday afternoon contest against Colorado College.