MADISON, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham men's lacrosse team busted out in the second half and pulled away for a 13-8 victory over Rosemont College at Robert T. Shields Field on Wednesday night.
The Devils (1-3) received contributions from up and down the roster including a pair of hat tricks from Kevin Loveland and Frank Salustri. With his three-goal effort, Loveland now sits tied atop the team-lead in goals with five on the campaign.
Rosemont's Ralph Ibezim paced the Ravens (1-3) with a game-high four goals and added four ground balls to his ledger in the loss.
The Devils outshot the Ravens 43-38 and did a solid job defensively, causing 25 turnovers on the night. Juniors Dan Decker and Nick Grasso led an inspired defensive effort with three caused turnovers apiece. Decker also added an assist and five ground balls in the victory.
After one period of action, the Devils trailed 3-1 with Michael Warg registering the team's lone strike. The Ravens took advantage of a 5-for-5 performance in the faceoff circle to gain the early lead.
Freshman Liam Nelson took over faceoff duty for FDU-Florham in the second quarter and the momentum almost immediately swung into the Devils' favor. Nelson's work in the circle helped the Devils shift the field and control possession. Following a first quarter where they were outshot 15-5, the Devils turned the tide and took 11 second-quarter shots to just six for the Ravens.
Nelson won three faceoffs for the Devils as they stormed past Rosemont and outscored their road foes 5-2 in the second frame. The first-year midfielder won 10 faceoffs in total and led the Devils with seven ground balls in the contest. After the two teams traded strikes, FDU-Florham scored three straight times, capped by Kevin Loveland's first goal of the day with 1:52 to go, resulting in a 5-4 lead. Ibezim briefly pulled the Ravens even before Salustri delivered an unassisted goal for FDU-Florham with 18 ticks remaining in the half for a 6-5 halftime lead. Salustri's goal, his second of the night, came off an on-target setup by Dan Sagl.
Just one minute into the second stanza, Decker setup Loveland for a two-goal Devils' lead. The teams proceeded to trade scores over the remainder of the period and through the beginning of the fourth before the Devils broke open their 9-7 lead by netting four of the game's final five goals.
Leading 10-8, Loveland buried a pass from David Stewart. Stewart then found Connor May for his first goal of the season before Daniel Minnich put the finishing touches on the win at the 4:13 mark with his fifth goal of the season.
Sophomore goalkeeper Conner Evans made nine stops in net for the Devils to secure the victory, while Rosemont's Kiefer Paul totaled eight saves in the loss.
FDU-Florham returns to action with their first road test of the season when they travel across the country to California to take on Whittier College next Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m.
