MADISON, N.J. -- The FDU-Florham field hockey team locked up the top seed in the upcoming Freedom Conference Tournament by defeating Manhattanville College 3-0 on Tuesday night at Robert T. Shields Field.

The Devils (12-6, 6-1 Freedom) have now won six-straight games, including four shutouts, as they ascended to the top of the conference standings.

FDU-Florham entered the night's contest locked atop the conference standings with Misericordia University, however, the Cougars were knocked off by Wilkes University on Tuesday, leaving the Devils in sole possession of the regular-season crown.

Prior to the game, the Devils honored their three seniors, Gabriella D'Amico (Mullica Hill, N.J.), Katelin Leibner (Jackson, N.J.), and Niki Ikeda (Lawrence, N.J.). All three played outstanding on Tuesday and made several key plays in the win.

FDU-Florham dominated from the opening whistle and broke into the scoring column at the 11:19 mark when Kim Davis (Long Branch, N.J.) slapped in a deflected pass from Alicia Theoret (Freehold, N.J.). The goal was Davis' team-leading 11th of the season.

Leibner helped lead the Devils defense and they did not allow the Valiants (4-14, 1-6 Freedom) to attempt a shot until 19:42 into action. With the ball firmly entrenched in Manhattanville's end of the field, FDU-Florham managed to fire 16 first-half shots. Late in the 32nd minute, Ikeda delivered with a senior-day goal. The "Devil of the Week"  received a pass from Davis and fired a rocket into the back left of the cage, which gave the Devils a 2-0 lead. The goal was Ikeda's eighth of the season, which complements her seven assists on the campaign.

The Devils attack limited the Valiants to only two shot attempts in the first stanza and the home team held the two-goal advantage at the break.

In the second half, the Valiants worked their way into several scoring opportunities but Devils junior goalkeeper Amy Defnet (Poolesville, Md.) was locked in. Defnet made two brilliant kick saves and stonewalled the Manhattanville attack.

Freshman Jodie Crutchley (Ewing, N.J.) iced the game in the 49th minute by earning prime position in front of the cage and sneaking the ball past Manhattanville goalkeeper Kaitlin Halloran. Crutchley's goal came courtesy of a rocketed pass from Erin O'Connell (Linwood, N.J.) that split the Manhattanville defense. 

The Devils will host the opening round of the Freedom Conference tournament on Wednesday, November 5th against Wilkes University with time to be determined. This is FDU-Florham's second Freedom Conference Regular Season title under head coach Jenn Noon with their other first-place finish coming in 2011.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham wraps up regular-season play this Thursday, October 30th at Stockton College with start time set for 7 p.m.