CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (April 13, 2019) – Sophomore Drew Bukowiec and junior John Belanger scored twice, but the FDU-Florham men's lacrosse team was topped by DeSales University 9-6 Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs remain unbeaten at 13-0, including a 4-0 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom while FDU falls to 6-5, 2-2 in the MAC Freedom.

Belanger had the game's first opportunity 1:24 into the contest, but the DeSales goalie stopped his attempt. Just over two minutes later, junior Pat Stewart put the Devils on the board as his unassisted tally gave FDU the 1-0 lead. The lead would be short-lived, as DeSales came down on the ensuing face-off win and leveled the game at one 49 seconds later. The Bulldogs took the lead with 6:12 left in the period, netting a goal off a successful clear.

The Devils had a flurry of chances opening the second quarter but were unable to find the back of the net until the 4:27 mark. Stewart linked up with Bukowiec who ripped a shot past the DeSales goalkeeper to tie things at two. The teams traded scoring chances before FDU was assessed a delay of game penalty. DeSales capitalized, scoring a man-up goal with 5:17 remaining in the half to take a 3-2 lead entering halftime.

FDU killed off a penalty to begin the third quarter and attempts by Belanger and senior Michael Warg was snared by the DeSales goalkeeper. The Devils continued to put shots toward the goal looking for the equalizer and found it with 9:28 left in the quarter. This time, it was freshman Zane Johnston who found the back of the net.

DeSales would close out the third quarter with the final three goals, but FDU countered with the first two markers of the fourth and final frame. Junior Adam Reifer made a big save which led to a successful Devils clear, and Johnston found Belanger for his team-leading 29th goal of the year. A holding penalty resulted in a Devils man-advantage, and 15 seconds into the penalty, Belanger tallied his second of the game, this time off a pass from junior John Guido.

The Devils would be unable to get any closer, as the hosts netted the next three goals to take a 9-5 lead. FDU capitalized on one final man-advantage opportunity, with Guido setting up Bukowiec for the final goal of the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
•    Belanger recorded his eighth multi-goal game of the season and took a season-high 11 shots on goal.
•    Senior Michael Adragna led the defensive effort, forcing four turnovers and leading the way with six ground balls.
•    Rookie MacGyver Hay picked up four ground balls, while senior Michael Contreras had three.
•    Reifer made eight saves in the setback.

UP NEXT
The Devils return home on Wednesday night, hosting Eastern University at 7 p.m. in the regular season home finale.