Box Score MADISON, N.J. --  The FDU-Florham women's soccer team defeated St. Joseph's College (Long Island) 2-1 in their season opener at Robert T. Shields Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Devils (1-0) were led offensively by sophomore forward Gabby Diaco (Montville, N.J./Montville Township), who broke out in her season debut by scoring both of the team's goals in the contest. The second-year forward snapped a 1-1 tie in the 80th minute by firing a rocket past Golden Eagles' goalkeeper Katie McGarrell and into the left corner of the net.

 St. Joseph's nearly struck first when junior Joann Murino fired a set piece off of the crossbar eight minutes into play. The Golden Eagles charged the net for a putback attempt but were ruled offside in the process and the game remained scoreless. In the 20th minute, Diaco changed that by heading in a beautiful lob pass from junior Mary Kate Whalen (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan), which gave FDU-Florham a 1-0 lead.

FDU-Florham maintained their lead through halftime but in the 68th minute the Eagles evened the score when freshman Claire Brady knocked in a perfect cross from teammate Kristin Carroll. Two minutes after returning to the game from a brief rest, Diaco delivered again with her second strike of the game, which put the Devils ahead for good. The FDU-Florham defense played outstanding, led by junior back Kelly Roche (Haddon Township, N.J./Haddon Township), who was relentless on the backline. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Annie George (Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls) made three stops in the win, as the Devils outshot the Golden Eagles 12-8 on the day.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham will look to make it a perfect weekend tomorrow, August 31st when they host Ramapo College at 4:30 p.m.