WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- The FDU-Florham women's soccer team's comeback effort came up short as the Devils fell to King's College 2-1 on Wednesday evening at McCarthy Stadium.

The loss has crucial implications on the Devils' (6-9-2, 2-4 Freedom) Freedom Conference Tournament hopes as they are now deadlocked with the Lady Monarchs, Wilkes University, and Eastern University for the final postseason spot. FDU-Florham has a must-win game this Saturday against Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa. The Lady Monarchs improved to 5-8-2 overall and 2-4 in the conference with the victory.

It took only 4:01 for the Lady Monarchs to stake a 1-0 lead on Wednesday. Alexandra Garret buried a shot into the upper left corner of the net after receiving a through-ball from teammate Erin Laird 15-yards out.

FDU-Florham sophomore forward Gabby Diaco (Montville, N.J.) earned two scoring chances in the final three minutes of the half but her first shot was saved by King's goalkeeper Jessica Natale and her second attempt sailed wide. The Devils outshot the home team 4-3 in the first half, however, the Lady Monarchs entered the break with the one-goal lead.

The Lady Monarchs increased their lead to 2-0 with 23:53 remaining in regulation when Garret made a steal and then snuck a shot inside of the left post. 

The Devils showed resilience and continued to fight for scoring chances. With 13:10 to go, sophomore Brittni Calleo (Bayville, N.J.) found freshman forward Justine Fernandez (Iselin,N.J.), who fired a strike from the right wing into the back of the net. In the 82nd minute, the Devils put a corner kick into the box but Sarah LeChard's (East Windsor, N.J.) header sailed over the net and the Lady Monarchs held on for the win.

FDU-Florham outshot King's 11-8 in the contest and held a 4-2 advantage on corner kicks. For the Lady Monarchs, Natale stopped five shots to earn the victory.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham heads to Doylestown, Pa. to take on Delaware Valley College this Saturday, November 1st at 12 p.m.