MADISON, N.J. -- The FDU-Florham field hockey team battled until the very end but it was the Kean University Cougars who pulled out the 1-0 victory in overtime at Robert T. Shields Field on Tuesday night.

The Devils (5-5, 0-1 Freedom) matched the Cougars' (8-3, 0-1 NJAC) intensity, however, the Cougars found the game's lone goal 3:47 into the first overtime period.

FDU-Florham's defense was stout on Tuesday night, as they constantly turned away the Cougars' attack. Sophomore Erin O'Connell (Linwood, N.J./Mainland) helped anchor the Devils defense throughout the contest. Additionally, Katelin Leibner (Jackson, N.J./Jackson) and Niki Ikeda (Lawrence, N.J./Lawrence) stopped the Cougars in their tracks on several occasions as they attempted to attack the cage. 

In the 20th minute, Leibner made a crucial defensive save on Kean's leading scorer Marissa Robinson, who appeared to be in prime position to net the game's first goal. FDU-Florham's defense did an excellent job to keep Robinson in check throughout the contest. Robinson entered the night with a team-high 93 shot attempts on the campaign. The two squads earned an even number of penalty corners in the opening stanza but were unable to sneak any shots into the back of the cage. 

The second half was a mirror image of the first 35 minutes. Both teams fought hard to earn scoring chances but were continually turned away by the relentless defenders. Making her sixth start of the campaign in goal, Samantha Klimaszewski (Green Village, N.J./Madison) turned away a season-high seven shots. On the other end of the field, the Devils only managed one shot on target. In the 71st minute, junior forward Stephanie Geskes (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) fired from the top of the circle but was denied by Kean's goalkeeper Katie DiCarlo.

Less than two minutes later, Kean sophomore Jordan Colna struck the ball from the top of the circle and freshman Teresa Carr tipped it past Klimaszewski for the game winner.

The players donned pink accessories and wore pink t-shirts prior to the game in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In addition, the Cougars field hockey team donated $371.75 to National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) before Tuesday's contest.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham takes on Wilkes University this Friday, October 3rd with start time slated for 7 p.m. in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.