MADISON, N.J. – The FDU-Florham men's lacrosse team tried to rally late on senior day but was ultimately defeated 9-6 by the Misericordia University Cougars Saturday afternoon at Robert T. Shields Field.
Sophomore Matt Melnik (Clifton, N.J.) and freshman David Stewart (Narbeth, Pa.) led the offensive charge for the Devils (8-6, 4-2 Freedom), each netting a pair of goals in the game.
The Cougars (9-6, 4-2 Freedom) jumped out to an early lead once Trevor Bodnar scored the first goal of the contest. Misericordia went on to add another goal in the first quarter on a Lane Kocovsky score off of an assist from Chris Fleming.
To kick off the second quarter, Brandon Winslow fired a shot into the back of the net to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead. Winslow was a spark off of the bench for the Cougars, scoring a game-high four goals.
The Devils got on the board once Nick Ardolino (Florham Park, N.J.) rifled a shot past the Cougars goalie midway through the second quarter. The Cougars then added to their two goal lead with three unanswered goals in the quarter, two coming off of shots from Winslow.
Trailing 6-1 in the closing minute of the first half, freshman Dan Sagl (West Islip, N.Y.) found the back of the net for a Devils score. The Devils and Cougars offenses were both limited for majority of the third quarter due to some great goalie play. However, following a Cougars turnover late in the quarter, Daniel Minnich (Laurys Station, Pa.) had the ball and sent a pass over to Stewart who then netted the shot. The Devils added another goal on the very next possession once Minnich found Melnik for a score.
Following a Cougars turnover, the Devils gained possession and Minnich patiently waited behind the Cougars goal with the ball. After making a quick move, he dished the ball off to Stewart who then fired a shot behind his back to the top right of the net to cut the deficit to one.
The Cougars got another goal from Winslow but with five minutes left to play, it was Melnik netting his second goal of the afternoon for the Devils to make it a 7-6 game. Holding on to a one goal lead, the Cougars managed to add two more scores and claim the 9-6 victory over the Devils.
The Devils have locked up the third seed in the Freedom Conference Tournament and will travel to Dallas, Pa. on Wednesday, April 29, to face off against the Misericordia University Cougars in a semifinal match that is set to start at 7 p.m.
