DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- The FDU-Florham men's soccer team netted four second-half goals to defeat Delaware Valley College 4-1 on Saturday afternoon and advance to the Freedom Conference Tournament.
The Devils (6-9-3, 4-3 Freedom) rallied from one-goal down to claim the do-or-die victory and secure the fourth seed in the upcoming Freedom Conference Tournament. For the second-straight year, the Devils will visit top-seeded Eastern University in the tournament's opening round. Last season, FDU-Florham went to St. Davids, Pa. and upset the Eagles 1-0 to advance to the conference championship game.
On Saturday, despite firing 15 first-half shots, the Devils were held without a goal over the first 45 minutes of play. FDU-Florham's defense was outstanding and locked down the Aggies attack to hold them without a shot over the first stanza. The Devils attempted a season-high 33 shots in the contest, which ranks second all-time in a single game as the team took 36 shots against College of Staten Island in 2009.
The Aggies' first shot of the contest came courtesy of a through-ball from
Max Drummond that
Steve Mannato buried into the net from eight-yards out. However, FDU-Florham remained upbeat and their hardwork finally paid off when
Chaz Armand (Westlake, Ga.) and
Dylan Meyler (Somerdale, N.J.) worked a give-and-go that Armand finished for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
In the 68th minute, sophomore
Jay Bower (Farmingdale, N.J.) netted the game-winner by rebounding Armand's miss, which had hit the cross bar. FDU-Florham sophomore
Andrew Ruane (Parsippany, N.J.) sealed the victory for the Devils by scoring twice in a three-minute span off of assists by Armand and
Tommy Asselta (Bethpage, N.Y.) in the 76th and 78th minute.
Next up for the Devils:FDU-Florham will head to St. Davids, Pa. this Tuesday, November 4th to take on Eastern University in the opening round of the Freedom Conference Tournament at 2 p.m.