Box Score DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Delaware Valley College sophomore forward
Taylor Prichett scored two goals, including a breakaway tally with 15:37 remaining that proved to be the difference, as the Aggies remained tied for first place in the Freedom Conference with a big, 2-1 victory over visiting FDU-Florham.
The win was the third straight for Delaware Valley as it improved to 11-5 overall. The 11 victories is the third-highest, single-season total in program history and just one shy of the mark set in both 2001 and 2007.
More importantly, the Aggies upped their conference record to 4-1 and stayed tied with DeSales University atop the standings. Delaware Valley defeated DeSales earlier in the year, giving the squad the current tiebreaker for first place.
Six teams are within two games of each other with two contests remaining and the top four advance to the Freedom Conference tournament. A victory by the Aggies in one of their last two road games (at 3-2 Manhattanville College on Saturday and at 1-4 and five-time defending champion Eastern University on October 29) would clinch a second straight tournament berth and the fourth in the last five years. FDU-Florham is one of the teams in the hunt and Wednesday's loss dropped them to 6-10 overall and 2-3 in the Freedom.
Prichett continued her torrid season by upping her goal total to 19 (five game-winners) and her point total to 41. Current assistant coach
Michelle Cernobyl holds both single-season record as she notched 23 goals and 51 points in 2008.
Prichett gave Delaware Valley a 1-0 lead just 6:10 into the contest as she played give-and-go with
Stefania Swider before putting the ball into the back of the cage. However, the Devils tied it up just more than two minutes later when, off a corner opportunity, Lanie Andrews received a return pass from Niki Ikeda at the left post and scored her ninth goal of the year.
It remained a 1-1 contest for the next 46 minutes, but the Aggies began to assert themselves in the second stanza. Prichett then got loose for a breakaway just past midfield and it was just her and FDU-Florham goalkeeper Tess Loughran. As she entered the circle, Prichett moved the ball to her left and her sweeping shot rolled past Loughran and into the far right corner of the goal. The Aggies had a few tense moments before time ran out and they picked up the win.
Delaware Valley had a 16-5 advantage in shots, including 11-2 in the second half.
Sandra Edwards made three saves for the win while Loughran had 10 stops with seven coming in the final 35 minutes.