Box Score Madison, N.J.– The FDU-Florham Devils women's lacrosse team began their 2014 campaign with a hard fought 10-8 loss to St. Joseph's College on Saturday afternoon at Robert T. Shields Field.

In her first game with the Devils, freshman Joelle Manganella (Kenvil, N.J./Roxbury) led all scorers with four goals. The future is bright for this young Devils team (which features 10 freshmen), as seven of the team's eight goals were delivered by first-year players.

The Golden Eagles struck first, when junior Nicole Lyman opened the scoring 20:49 into action. FDU-Florham countered by netting the game's next three tallies, as Manganella and Brittni Calleo (Bayville, N.J./Central Regional) scored within 45 seconds of each other. Freshman midfielder Brienna Reasoner (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) fired her first strike of the season three minutes later, which gave the Devils a 3-1 lead.

St. Joseph's rallied by scoring five-unanswered goals over the 11:42 of action, and entered the halftime break leading 6-3. Five minutes into the second stanza, Manganella notched her second goal of the contest on an unassisted strike. Three minutes later, Reasoner found the back of the net and the Devils cut the Golden Eagles' lead down to one at 6-5.

The St. Joseph's offense awoke once again, this time by scoring the game's next three tallies to regain a three-goal advantage with 12:57 to play in regulation. However, the Devils were unwilling to go down quietly, as Manganella completed a hat trick by adding her third goal with 7:16 remaining. Only 24 seconds later, Manganella found  Brianna Capobianco (Williston Park, N.Y./Kellenberg) cutting to the net, and Capobianco converted the scoring opportunity to bring the home team within two.

With 5:45 remaining, Managanella netted her fourth goal of the contest, which brought the Devils within one score at 9-8. The Devils were unable to even the score and with 3:08 to play St. Joseph's sophomore Tori Gregson added the game's last tally, which resulted in the 10-8 final.

Manganella made the most of her opportunities by netting four of her six shot attempts on the afternoon. In addition to her two goals, Reasoner added three groundballs and three draw controls to her ledger in defeat.

Ela Igdeler's two-goal effort paced a balanced St. Joseph's attack, which comprised of nine different goal scorers in the win. The Devils dropped to 0-1 despite outshooting the Golden Eagles 23-18, including 13-6 in the second half.

Next up for the Devils:
The Devils have a week off before returning to action next Saturday, March 1st when they take on The College of New Jersey, with start time scheduled for 11 a.m.