Lancaster, PA - No. 5 Franklin & Marshall College scored eight second-half goals to pull away from No. 19 Messiah College in a 15-5 win on Tuesday afternoon. The loss dropped the Falcons to 6-5 overall while the Diplomats moved to 12-1.

Messiah kept pace early and trailed just 5-3 with just over five minutes to play in the first-half, but F&M scored twice before the break to go up 7-3. Those two tallies were the beginning of a 9-0 run that spanned both periods as the hosts went up 14-3.

The Falcons' attempt to slow down the fast-paced Diplomats had worked at the start, and the deliberate attack deliverd two the game's first three goals. Allie Colson and Courtney Wagner tallied those scores, with a Diplomats' goal in-between. With just over 21 minutes to play F&M tied it up, and they then tallied three-straight goals in transition to go up 5-2. Those scored were apart of the Diplomats' 10-11 showing on clears in the first period as Messiah was forced to play from behind.

As mentioned, the Diplomats pulled away in the second period thanks to more impressive full-field play (8-8 on clears). They were also quick to the ball and finished with a 12-5 advantage in groundballs in the final 30 minutes.

Back-to-back goals by Kendra Herbenar and Annika Johnsen ended F&M's run with less than five minutes to play, but by then the game was in hand for the Diplomats.

Alexa Dipeso made 11 saves in cage for Messiah, with her counterpart Danielle Harrington stopping seven shots. Wagner finished with two goals to lead the Falcons.

Messiah will have a quick turnaround from the loss as they travel to Hood College tomorrow for a game at 4:00 p.m.