DALLAS, Pa. (April 10, 2019) – The FDU-Florham women's lacrosse team was topped by Misericordia 11-7 in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom play Wednesday.

FDU falls to 5-6, 2-1 in the MAC Freedom while Misericordia improves to 8-5, 3-0 in the conference.

The Cougars began the game with opening three goals, but senior Megan Nemeth made four stops in net to keep the Devils within striking distance. FDU was stifled early by the Cougars defense, taking only four shots over the first 18 minutes. On the fifth attempt, senior Caitlyn Damon stopped the Misericordia run by scoring her first goal of the game.

Nemeth made another save with 8:02 left in the opening half, and off a successful clearing attempt cut the deficit to one goal. This time, it was junior Aliyha Elk getting on the scoreboard for her first tally of the evening. Both teams had additional opportunities to score before halftime, but Nemeth was impressive making four saves over the final 4:32 to keep the game a one-goal affair entering the break,

FDU went 11-of-16 on clears in the opening 30 minutes, with Nemeth making 10 saves.

Looking for the equalizing goal, the Devils had their first two shots of the second stanza snared by the Cougars goalkeeper. The hosts doubled their lead with 22:52 left on a free position goal before Damon potted her second of the night on a pass from classmate Caroline Pape.

The teams combined four goals over the 1:54, with Misericordia netting the first two in 10 seconds. Pape and Damon brought the Devils back to within one, scoring tallies 45 seconds apart. After Misericordia called a timeout, the Cougars reeled off the next four goals to take an 11-6 lead. Senior Kathleen Petrucelli notched the final Devils goal, scoring with 18 seconds left.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
•    Sophomore Kayla Brunner led the Devils with a career-high four draw controls.
•    Pape recorded a goal and two assists, matching Damon for the team-high of three points.
•    Sophomore Nina Shirey was tops on the team with five ground balls.
•    Nemeth registered a season-high 18 saves, her sixth game this season with 10 or more saves.

UP NEXT
The Devils resume conference play Saturday, hosting DeSales University at 1 p.m.