Box Score MADISON (NJ) – Delaware Valley University freshman
PJ Rafferty tied a school record with five goals and set a new standard with seven points as the Aggies registered one of the biggest wins in the two-year history of the program with a 12-8 triumph at Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) foe FDU-Florham.
The win improved DelVal to 5-4 overall and 1-0 in conference action, matching the team's win totals from its inaugural season (5-8, 1-5). Saturday's victory came over a Devils' squad (2-7, 0-1) that defeated the Aggies 13-4 last season and who has reached the MAC Freedom playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
Rafferty took five shots on the day and scored on all five. The total matched the record that
Chris Coyle set in a win over Bryn Athyn College last season. He added two assists for a seven-point performance that broke the mark of six that both he and owned. Rafferty had the six points in this year's triumph over Arcadia University while Coyle first set it in that '15 win over Bryn Athyn.
Rafferty started the scoring exactly six minutes into the contest with an unassisted tally. FDU-Florham tied it up just over two minutes later, but the Aggies responded with back-to-back goals by Coyle (assisted by Rafferty) and
Nick Shendge (assisted by
Joseph Long). The Devils got one back just before the end of the first quarter to trail 3-2.
Rafferty got his second assist on a man-up situation as he fed
Matt Brady for a goal with 11:51 remaining in the half. The team went more than nine minutes with a goal before Rafferty put one in with 2:17 left. Conor Cunningham scored for the Devils just eight second later, but Rafferty countered with 13 ticks to go for a 6-3 DelVal lead at the break.
FDU-Florham wasted no time in the second half as Dan Decker scored just 97 seconds in. The Devils then made it a one-goal game midway through the third quarter, but the Aggies responded with three goals in a three-minute span for a 9-5 advantage. Rafferty began that run with 5:42 to go while Darpino (3:51) and
Austin Sensenig (2:23) followed.
FDU-Florham picked up tallies at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth to make it a 9-7 contest. Shendge upped the DelVal advantage with 8:39 remaining and it remained that way for nearly five full minutes. Frank Sulstri made it a two-goal game with 3:50 left on the clock, but Aggie freshman
Matt Tordone won the ensuing faceoff, raced down the field and scored just seven seconds later. Twenty ticks later, Rafferty tied the goals record and set the points mark for the 12-8 win.
DelVal goalie
Jon Fogarty was outstanding all afternoon as he stopped 14 shots, including eight in the second half.
Danny Smith racked up eight ground balls while Tordone had five ground balls and won 10 of 21 faceoffs.
Kyle Johnston caused two turnovers.
Daniel Minnich had two goal to pace FDU-Florham. Decker and Dalton Rimmer combined for 15 ground balls while Conner Evans had five saves in net.
DelVal will host four-time defending MAC Freedom champion Eastern University on Wednesday, April 13 (4:00 p.m.).
