By Dain McKee
Middlebury Athletic Communications

MIDDLEBURY, Vermont – Fifth-ranked Ursinus (17-3) scored the go-ahead goal in the 56th minute and dodged late comeback attempts by sixth-ranked Franklin & Marshall (18-3) during a 2-1 NCAA Tournament victory Saturday afternoon on Middlebury College's Kohn Field. The Bears advance to Sunday's regional final at 1:00 p.m. and will meet #2 Middlebury, who won the day's first game over the University of New England, 7-0. The Diplomats conclude their season with a record of 18-3.

The first half featured back and forth action with not many scoring opportunities for the first 22 minutes. At the 22:39 mark, Ursinus' Annie Kopera put the Bears ahead when she tapped the ball in on the left side from point-blank range after a pass bounced off the goalie and went directly to her stick.

Just 5:16 later, Franklin & Marshall knotted the game at 1-1 on a goal from Tamara Mills, who redirected a shot off the stick of Megan Kelly. The game stayed tied through the halftime intermission.

Out of the break, much of the play happened between the 25-yard lines until the 43:42 mark. Franklin & Marshall's Maria Guarisco had a one-on-one opportunity with Ursinus goalie Danielle DeSpirito, as Guarisco laced a shot headed directly toward the left side of the cage. However, DeSpirito made a lunging dive to her right and turned away Guarisco's scoring attempt.

With the game still deadlocked at 1-1, Ursinus' Devin Brakel tallied what proved to be the eventual game-winner at 54:43. She gathered a loose ball just outside the 25 on the right side, dribbled across the field and blasted a hard, low shot that snuck under the body of Franklin & Marshall goalie Allie Morey.

As Ursinus clung to a 2-1 lead, Franklin & Marshall had a great chance to tie the game when it was awarded a penalty stroke at 59:21. Guarisco stepped to the dot and sent a hard shot that DeSpirito once again dove to her right and the made the save with her blocker pad.

In one last attempt, the Diplomats pulled Morey with 2:17 left to put an extra attacker on the field. Ursinus was up for the challenge and held on for the thrilling victory.

Franklin & Marshall held a 12-5 shots advantage in the game and a 10-8 edge in penalty corners. DeSpirito (17-3) tallied five saves in goal, including the two critical second-half stops, while Morey (18-3) tallied one stop in her 67:43 of play.