DALLAS, Pa. (May 4, 2019) – Senior Kathleen Petrucelli tallied four goals and an assist, but the FDU-Florham women's lacrosse team was topped by Misericordia University 11-9 in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Championship Saturday.

FDU falls to 10-8, with Misericordia improving to 14-5. The Cougars claim their first MAC Freedom Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

The hosts opened the game with two goals in the first two minutes. The Devils cut the lead in half nearly five minutes later, converting a chance off of a turnover. FDU got the ball down low, and off of a restart, Petrucelli hit a crossing Caitlyn Damon for the goal. Misericordia restored their two-goal edge, but with 17:28 left in the half, Petrucelli capitalized off a rebound to make the score 3-2.

The Cougars tallied the next two goals, but senior Caroline Pape dumped a pass in front to Petrucelli, who pump-faked once and beat the goalkeeper. Three minutes later, the senior Petrucelli drew a foul inside the critical scoring area and was awarded a free-position attempt. Fighting through traffic in front, Petrucelli tallied the free-position goal making the score 5-4.

Misericordia took their largest lead of the first half, scoring the next two goals and opening a three-goal edge. Pape stopped the Cougar rally at the 7:16 mark, netting a free-position marker of her own. Neither team would be able to convert the remainder of the period, though Pape had a shot that was stopped by the goalie and bounced off the post.

Senior Megan Nemeth made five first-half stops while the Devils held a slim 14-13 edge in ground balls. Senior Madeline DeFelice caused three turnovers over the first 30 minutes, as junior Aliyha Elk and Petrucelli each tallied a pair of ground balls.

Misericordia began the second half with sustained pressure on the Devils, disrupting the Devils transition attempts. Nemeth made a couple of big saves to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard, and Devils had a golden opportunity to cut into the lead. After a turnover, Nemeth hit Petrucelli near midfield who found Damon. Damon went streaking in, but her attempt sailed over the goal. 

A minute later, the Devils got within a goal again as Pape recorded a free-position tally. FDU found the equalizer with 21:05 left in the second stanza, as Damon flicked in a behind-the-back shot off a feed from sophomore Hannah Bhend. Misericordia answered right back, tallying a free-position goal to take the lead once again.

FDU continued to apply pressure in the hunt for the tying goal, as the Misericordia goalkeeper stopped shots by junior Madison Wood and Petrucelli. With 12:12 on the clock, Pape capped off her hat-trick, notching her third free-position goal of the afternoon. Misericordia regained the lead with time winding down on the shot clock, taking a 9-8 lead with 7:42 left. The lead was short-lived, as Petrucelli picked up her fourth of the game 50 seconds later.

The Cougars tallied the final two goals, including a man-down marker with 3:26 remaining to take an 11-9 lead. The Devils had possession after the second Cougar tally, but a turnover and a yellow-card ended the FDU comeback hopes. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
•    Nemeth made 13 saves, her eighth game with 10 or more saves this year. She also added nine ground balls, tying the school record.
•    Petrucelli netted four goals for the second consecutive contest. She also added a season-high 11 shots.
•    Sophomore Nina Shirey recorded six caused turnovers, matching her season-high.

UP NEXT
The Devils await a potential ECAC Tournament bid, which will be announced Monday afternoon.