GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The FDU-Florham women's lacrosse team earned its first ever NCAA Tournament victory after defeating the Cabrini College Cavaliers 12-7 in the opening round on Saturday afternoon in Gettysburg, Pa.
Sophomore Joelle Manganella (Kenvil, N.J.) led the offensive attack for the Devils (17-3) with a game-high four goals in the contest while senior Grace Warburton (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) protected the net and recorded 10 saves.
To kick off the game, the Devils found themselves in unfamiliar territory after the Cavaliers (14-6) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead.
Trailing by three, senior midfielder Courtney Rendinaro (Hillsborough, N.J.) got the ball near the net and as she was falling to the ground, she managed to fire a shot past the Cavaliers' goalkeeper for the first FDU-Florham score of the afternoon.
The Rendinaro score ignited the Devils offense and once they gained possession, Manganella received the ball and powered her way past several Cabrini defenders and scored. Several minutes later the Devils earned a free position shot and Reasoner came away with the score to knot the game up at 3-3.
Cabrini then retook the lead off of a Sarah Carzo goal, but FDU-Florham responded once Dana Amorosi (Deptford, N.J.) caught the ball at midfield and sprinted down the field towards to goal and scored by bouncing a shot into the net.
The Devils went on to take a 5-4 lead before the half came to a close after Frances Maggio (Bound Brook, N.J.) was awarded a free position shot and scored.
Early in the second half, the Devils were looking to add to their one-goal lead. As they patiently worked the ball around the field, it eventually found its way to Amorosi and she cut to the net and rifled a shot into the goal for the score.
A few minutes later, Amorosi tossed the ball to Brianna Capobianco (Williston Park, N.Y.) in front of the Cabrini net and she was hit hard but still managed to fire a shot past the goalkeeper to give FDU-Florham a 7-4 lead.
With a three goal lead, Rendinaro was able to net her second score of the afternoon but the Cavaliers came marching back with two goals of their own to make it an 8-6 game with 14 minutes left to play.
Following the two Cabrini scores, Manganella was holding onto the ball and jogging with her back turned to the goal, but she stopped her feet and made a quick turn to the net and sprinted. Once she got near the goal she eyed her target and rifled a shot into the back of the net to extend the Devils lead to three.
The Cavaliers were able to cut the deficit back to two once Jess Breuning circled the net and scored.
However, the Devils responded and once Manganella was fouled at midfield and play resumed, she beat the Cavalier defenders down the field and scored to put the Devils up 10-7.
FDU-Florham added two more goals in the contest. The first came off of a shot from Reasoner after she got the ball and patiently waited before she made her move and scored.
The final Devils goal was Manganella's fourth of the afternoon and it came within the closing seconds of the contest when she sprinted down the field and used a soft touch on her shot to get it into the net.
The Devils will be back in action on Sunday, May 10, as they take on Gettysburg College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 1 p.m. in Gettysburg, Pa.
