MADISON, N.J. -- In a battle of two first-place teams, the FDU-Florham field hockey team dominated DeSales University 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Robert T. Shields Field.

With the win, the Devils (11-6, 5-1 Freedom) move one game in front of the Bulldogs (10-7, 4-2 Freedom) and remain deadlocked atop the Freedom Conference standings with Misericordia University. The Cougars defeated the Devils 3-1 earlier this season in Dallas, Pa.

After strategizing for a fast start to the game in yesterday's "Devils Down-Low" segment, senior Niki Ikeda (Lawrence, N.J.) delivered by scoring just 29 seconds into action on Saturday. Sophomore Kim Davis (Long Branch, N.J.) set up Ikeda at the top of the circle and the senior fired a rocket into the back of the cage.

At the 11:05 mark of the first half, the Bulldogs answered when Meryah Harding scored from the top of the circle. The goal was Harding's seventh of the season and evened the score at 1-1.

Senior Gabriella D'Amico (Mullica Hill, N.J.) put the Devils ahead for good at the 19:32 mark by knocking home a feed from Davis.Next, in the 32nd minute, Ikeda sprayed a blast into the right side of the cage for her second goal of the contest and her seventh of the season, which sent the Devils into the break with a 3-1 advantage.

The Devils made the most of their scoring chances in the first stanza by scoring on three of their four shot attempts. FDU-Florham finished the contest with a 10-3 shot-on-goal edge.

FDU-Florham surged into the second half by earning three penalty corners over the first five minutes and it paid off. In the 37th minute, sophomore Noelle Shirey (Pine Beach, N.J.) increased the Devils' cushion to 4-1 by netting her second goal of the campaign. Soon after, D'Amico found freshman Jodie Crutchley (Ewing, N.J.) waiting on the far post and the freshman knocked a shot past DeSales goalkeeper Becky Rasmuson to seal the victory.

With her two assists, Davis now has a team-high 26 points on the season and ranks second in assists with six. FDU-Florham netminder Amy Defnet (Poolesville, Md.) improved to 8-2 and made one save in the victory.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham will honor their seniors when they host Manhattanville College this Tuesday, October 28th at 7 p.m.