CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The FDU-Florham men's soccer team picked up their second conference win of the season after defeating the DeSales University Bulldogs 2-1 on Saturday afternoon in Center Valley, Pa.
The Bulldogs (5-8, 0-2 MAC Freedom) started with the ball and within the first 30 seconds of the game, they had a scoring chance. Michael Kirby saw an opening and took the shot, but it ricocheted off of the crossbar.
FDU-Florham (6-5-1, 2-0 MAC Freedom) was called for several early fouls in the contest and it nearly cost them in the 18th minute when the Bulldogs were awarded a penalty kick. Kirby had his second chance to find the back of the net, but as the shot went off of his foot, senior goalkeeper Nick Mihalik sent it away to keep the score even at 0-0.
Both Mihalik and the Bulldogs' goalie, Dan Sulpizio had a good showing as the Devils' keeper finished the game with six saves, while Sulpizio notched seven.
It was not until the 55th minute in the game that the first goal was scored. The goal came when freshman Jose Guardado played the ball over to junior Andrew Ruane, who rifled the shot into the back of the net.
As both teams began to trade shots late in the second half, a foul was eventually called on the Bulldogs that led to a FDU-Florham penalty kick. Junior AJ Carnevale took the shot and buried it to give the Devils the 2-0 advantage.
With just two minutes remaining in the game, Justin Habick fired a shot at the Devils' net but Mihalik deflected it back into play and it landed in front of Alex Peek, who then kicked it into the net.
The Bulldogs did manage to get one more shot off in the game, but it sailed high and the Devils sealed the 2-1 conference victory.
The Devils will be back in action on Wednesday, October 14 when they welcome the King's College Monarchs to Madison for a MAC Freedom showdown that is set to start at 3 p.m.
