DALLAS, Pa. – FDU-Florham field hockey junior defender Makayla Pak fired in a hat trick to lift the Devils over Misericordia, 3-1, in their Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom opener on Saturday night.

The Devils improve to 7-2 on the season as the Cougars fall to 1-7.

FDU-Florham slightly outshot the Cougars, 8-6, in the first half, but dominated the second stanza, outshooting their opponent, 15-5, and enjoying a 16-7 penalty corner advantage.

Misericordia struck first to put the Devils in a 1-0 hole as Colby Eldridge scored the lone goal of the first half in the 27^th minute.

The Devils regrouped and came out hard early in the second half, firing shots at the Cougars' net and grabbing penalty corner opportunities.

Despite the aggressive offense, Misericordia's Katelyn Campbell impressed in net to hold off the Devils until Pak knocked in the tying mark in the 48^th minute off a feed from senior Gabby Allen to force a Misericordia timeout.

The Devils took the momentum and ran with it and just about five minutes later Pak netted the eventual game-winner to give FDU-Florham the lead for the first time.

FDU-Florham held strong on defense and senior forward Marissa Kowalskie and junior midfielder Brooke Sherwin continued to spark a slew of offensive opportunities, combining for a total of 10 shots in the contest. Sophomore Maggie Sohns was a role player in the midfield, pressing the Cougars' defense with four shots.

With just over six minutes left to play, Pak completed her hat trick with an insurance goal to secure the conference triumph.

In goal, sophomore Samantha Rubin needed to make five stops to earn the win as Misericordia's Campbell recorded 12 saves in the loss.

The Devils hit the road once again on Tuesdsay, Sept. 26 to take on No. 3 The College of New Jersey at 7:30 p.m. in a non-conference test.