DOYLESTOWN, PA. – Delaware Valley's men's lacrosse failed to hold off FDU-Florham, in an 18-4 loss on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm in the initial first six minutes of the game, until the Devils were able to get one in the back of the net. Continuing to attack, the Devils persistently shot, gaining a 4-0 lead with 3:11 remaining in the first quarter. Goalie Daniel Hickling took initiative to stop their offensive momentum with three successful saves to give the Aggies confidence.
Despite another goal from the Devils, the Aggies recover by forcing a turnover and getting a successful clear attempt. Two ground balls were picked up to set Luca Aliano up for the first Delaware Valley goal of the game. Despite efforts for forced turnovers by Ryan Shelton and a faceoff win by Juan Zurita, the Devils took advantage of the Aggies series of turnovers, scoring five more goals. Making the most of their man-up opportunity, Kieran Schneider put another goal on the board for the Aggies.
After their last second push earning them an 11-2 lead going into the third quarter, the Devils lost the initial faceoff and highlighted a strong Aggies defense. Forcing a turnover and securing two more saves on goal, Delaware Valley's offense was fueled to take shots of their own. Luke Witko was able to gain two goals for the Aggies assisted by Schneider and Dalton Richter. After back and forth goals between both teams, the remainder of the quarter was silent offensively.
FDU-Florham came out strong in the fourth with two goals in the first two minutes. The Aggies attempted to rally with successful clear attempts and by finding shots on goal, but they failed to convert, leaving the Devils with a 5-0 offensive run overall in the quarter. With only six shots being taken between both teams in the last 6:14 of play, the penalties against the Devils and the Aggies turnovers created an offensive stalemate.
Regardless of the game's outcome, Hickling put up another dominant performance in goal for the Aggies. Hickling recorded his fifth game of the season with twenty or more saves.
Following the loss, the Aggies fall to 1-12 overall and 0-5 in the Middle Atlantic Conference. The next game for the Aggies is on Wednesday, April 22 when they take on Stevens away in Hoboken.
