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LANCASTER, PA - The Franklin & Marshall College men's lacrosse team finished the 2004 season ranked 25th in the nation according to the final LaxPower.com poll of the season. On offense, All-Centennial Conference first team attackman Steve Welsh (Jr., Lewes, DE/Cape Henelopen) led the team in scoring registering 20 goals and a season high 32 assists for 52 points to raise his career numbers to 64 goals and 67 assists for 131 points. In Centennial Conference play, he scored nine goals and recorded team bests in assists (19) and points (28) as Franklin & Marshall concluded the season 9-5, 4-4 in Centennial Conference play. Statistically, Welsh was the team's go-to scorer this season as he scored once and handed out two assists in a 5-3 victory over #8 ranked Washington & Lee at home in Lancaster. The win marked the Diplomats first over the Generals in Lancaster since a 10-9 overtime win on Sponaugle-Williamson Field on March 30, 1996 as F&M improved to 8-10 all-time against the Generals. In addition to Welsh, midfielder Bas Solleveld (Sr., Glenmoore, PA/Shipley School) also led the offense. A three-time All-Centennial Conference selection with second team recognition the last two seasons (2003 & 2004) and honorable mention status in 2002, Solleveld scored 21 goals and six assists for 27 points this year to raise his career totals to 70 goals and 29 assists for 99 points. In Conference play, he scored 13 goals and two assists for 15 points as he capped off a season in which he was named to the Centennial Conference honor roll on May 3 and March 8. A 2004 honorable mention and 2003 All-Centennial Conference second team selection, Dave Taler (Sr., Baltimore, MD/Gilman School) was instrumental in the team's defensive success as Franklin & Marshall ranked among the nation's best defensive units with 7.57 goals per game. Offensively, he dished out an assist for his first career point in a 12-8 win at Muhlenberg College on April 10. Overall, the Diplomats faced three of the top ten teams in the nation as Franklin & Marshall played #4 Gettysburg (11-10 L), #5 Washington (10-8 L) and #8 Washington & Lee (5-3 W) as F&M finished the season with the #32 ranked schedule in the nation. 2004 LaxPower.com Division III Men's Lacrosse Poll (FINAL)
Rank Team
1. Salisbury
2. Nazareth
3. Middlebury
4. Gettysburg
5. Washington
6. Cortland
7. Ithaca
8. Washington & Lee
9. Tufts
10. Whittier
11. Amherst
12. Wesleyan
13. RIT
14. Roanoke
15. Springfield
16. Stevens Tech
17. Lynchburg
18. Hampden-Sydney
19. Geneseo
20. St. Lawrence
21. Bowdoin
22. Rensselaer
23. Messiah
24. McDaniel
25. Franklin & Marshall
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