MADISON, N.J. – The FDU-Florham women's lacrosse team stepped onto the turf at Robert T. Shields Field on Wednesday afternoon and took down the Eastern University Eagles by the blink of an eye with a 15-3 Freedom Conference Tournament Semifinal victory.
The Devils (14-3, 6-0 Freedom) received contributions from a multitude of players, but it was senior Courtney Rendinaro (Hillsborough, N.J.), who flashed her athleticism and keen eye on the field with two goals and a career-high seven assists. With Rendinaro dishing the ball out so efficiently, sophomores Joelle Manganella (Kenvil, N.J.) and Noelle Shirey (Pine Beach, N.J.) were able to score with ease, combining for seven goals.
Less than four minutes into action, the Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Eagles (6-12, 3-3 Freedom) as Rendinaro found Shirey and Brianna Capobianco (Williston Park, N.Y.) for two scores. Rendinaro then got her name in the scoring column following an Eagles turnover with 23 minutes on the clock for her 50th goal of the year.
Following another score by Capobianco, Shirey and Manganella each earned free position shots and capitalized, sending the ball to the back of the net.
With a 6-0 advantage midway through the first half, Rendinaro found a streaking Brienna Reasoner (Flemington, N.J.) for a Devils score. After the Reasoner goal, the Devils added two more scores off of shots from Manganella and sophomore Frances Maggio (Bound Brook, N.J.).
It was not until the three minute mark in the first half that the Eagles got their first score. Eastern was awarded a free position shot and Julie Haggan sent the ball to the back of the net. However, the Devils quickly countered with a free position goal of their own off of the stick from Maggio.
To open up the second half, the Devils extended their lead to 11 after two quick goals from Manganella and Shirey.
The Eagles however, cut the deficit back to 10 with a free position goal from their leading scorer, Anna Charlebois.
It did not take long for the Devils to continue to add to their lead once Rendinaro sent the ball over to Manganella, who then rifled the shot into the back of the net. Less than two minutes later, Rendinaro took the ball to the net on her own and scored to give FDU-Florham a 14-2 advantage.
The Devils went on to claim the 15-3 victory in large part to their swarming defense as they denied a lot of the Eagles attacks and maintained an aggressive nature on both ends of the field. By controlling possession for majority of the contest, the Devils were able to get in a groove early and continue to roll on their impressive winning streak.
FDU-Florham will host the Cougars of Misericordia University on Saturday, May 2, for the Freedom Conference Tournament Championship game at Robert T. Shields Field.
