MADISON, N.J. – Senior forward
Alicia Grotyohann's goal in the 41
st minute was the difference as the FDU-Florham field hockey team topped Lebanon Valley College 1-0 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinals on Wednesday night at Robert T. Shields Field.
The third-seeded Devils (15-7) advance to take on No. 7 Alvernia University this Friday, November 13 with time and site to be determined. Alvernia (13-7) topped second-seed Muhlenberg College 2-1 in double overtime to advance to the semifinals.
The Dutchmen (10-9) pressured the Devils for most of the contest but senior goalkeeper
Amy Defnet was up to the challenge and made 10 saves on the night. Defnet has now reached double-digit stops in three of the team's last four games and appears to be playing her best defense of the season.
The senior netminder thwarted several quality scoring chances for the Dutchmen over the 70 minutes of action and never wavered. In the 23
rd minute,
Maddie Fox earned a good look at the cage but Defnet turned away her shot with a swift kick save. That trend continued for the duration of the contest as the senior goalkeeper continuously denied the Dutchmen.
Lebanon Valley outshot the Devils 14-6 in the contest, including 10-3 in shots on cage but never broke through.
At the 40:02 mark, Grotyohann, an All-MAC Freedom First Team selection, came through with her seventh goal of the season. Junior back
Erin O'Connell fired a shot off of Dutchmen goalkeeper
Victoria
ByDeLey, which ricocheted out to
Alicia Theoret. Theoret promptly settled the ball and sent it toward the right corner of the cage where Grotyohann was waiting to tip it in past ByDeLey for the game-winning strike.
Defnet and the Devils defense ensured that the one-goal lead stood up through the final whistle despite eight second-half shots by the Dutchmen.
With the win, the Devils avenged a hard-fought 3-2 loss to the Dutchmen from earlier this season to advance to the ECAC Semifinals for the first time since 2012.
