Franklin & Marshall head coach Todd Cavallaro recalls sitting in his office and imploring then-assistant coach Scott Meehan to find more pure goal-scorers. Power and range would be nice additions, too.

Meehan, now an assistant coach at Division I Saint Joseph’s, went searching and returned from a recruiting event with a possible solution: Kevin Mollihan, a 5-foot-10 attackman from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

“We recruited the heck out of him,” Cavallaro said. “I knew he’d elevate our program to another level with his presence on the field, not just the scoring ability but with everything he brings to the table.”

Mollihan has certainly met Cavallaro’s expectations, as he entered his senior year a three-time USILA All-American and the 2018 Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Several records are falling in the beginning of 2020, with Mollihan’s 202 career goals (and counting) representing an F&M record. It is also tied for the most all-time by any Centennial Conference player.

Odds are Mollihan will break the latter record Saturday when the Diplomats travel to face Messiah, and he could feasibly reach the F&M career points record (321) that’s owned by Jon Dale. Mollihan entered the spring averaging 80 points per season and currently has 253. Should F&M play deep enough into May — it topped the Centennial Conference preseason poll — and Mollihan remains healthy, Dale’s record is certainly within reach.

Just don’t go telling Mollihan about where he’ll end up in the program record book.

“I don't pay too much mind to it,” Mollihan said. “It’s team success and whatever happens with our win-loss record. When we’re meeting in the corner after, it’s not thinking about goals or assists. It’s always if we won the game.”

Mollihan is quick to remind folks that he’s not alone on attack, either. He’s formed quite the partnership with junior Luke Keating, a Long Islander who’s twice earned USILA All-American honors and is the reigning Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

If teams focus on one, the other thrives. They’re also quite close off the field. They’re often found studying together and enjoy playing Fortnite.

“He's ultimately my best friend on the field; he's probably the best attackman in the country,” Mollihan said of Keating. “He really sets me up every day in practice, in games. I can’t imagine what I'd be doing without Luke on the other side of the field.”

Their close relationship is also one of balance, according to Cavallaro. Mollihan’s more powerful, left-hand dominant and relentless in bearing down on defensemen, whereas Keating’s a bit quicker, more accurate with his shooting and brings a little more finesse.

One trait that puts Mollihan over the edge, though, is his ride. Look no further than last weekend’s 15-5 win over traditional ODAC powerhouse Washington & Lee, a game in which Cavallaro highlighted his team’s first goal.

F&M was struggling to get a rhythm going offensively, only for Mollihan to hit a W&L player, pick up a ground ball and feed midfielder A.J. Rigsby for the opening strike. It was the start of an 8-0 run, one that the Diplomats never looked back from.

“It’s plays like that people might not remember, but it sure sticks out in my mind,” Cavallaro said. “We were struggling, it was sloppy play, windy and cold. Then he found a way to get it done through his energy and his effort. That propelled us. Without that play, I'm not sure how that game would have turned out. That was almost the turning point.”

Odds are Mollihan will produce more turning points as F&M marches through the season ahead. Molliham singled out “leaving it all on the field" as what he most prides himself on as a player. He’ll be needed as a leader, too, as F&M looks to make back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in program history.

Cavallaro likes their long-term chances. He feels they’re solid in every spot across the field, though navigating a Centennial Conference that features defending champion Ursinus, Gettysburg, Dickinson and others won’t be easy. And Mollihan, just like with every record he scythes down, is keeping his focus small and goals big.

“It's the same goal as every year, which is just winning the next game,” Mollihan said. “It's focusing on Messiah now, but also working towards that conference championship and ending the season with a win in May.”