Field Hockey Advances to MAC Freedom Championship with 4-0 Win Over Eastern

MADISON, N.J. (October 31, 2018) – The FDU-Florham field hockey team scored two goals in each half to top Eastern 4-0 in the Middle Atlantic Conference Semifinals Wednesday evening. The Devils, who were the No. 1 seed in the tournament, will meet No. 2 seed DeSales on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Robert T. Shields Field. The Bulldogs knocked off No. 3 seed Wilkes 3-2 earlier Wednesday. The two sides met back on September 21, with FDU coming away with a 1-0 win. FDU moved to 16-4 on the season, tying the school record for wins in a season, set back in 2007. FDU held the early edge, keeping Eastern without a shot for the first 29 minutes of the first half. Off a penalty corner set up, the Devils finally broke through in the 23rd minute. Off a scramble, junior Jessica Pietracatella found herself open in the middle of the circle. Pietracatella fired a shot past the goalie for her fourth tally of the season. The Devils kept the momentum going, and doubled their lead 3:09 later. This time, junior Maggie Sohns found senior Makayla Pak for a goal. The newly-minted MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year notched her second goal of the season. FDU went into the halftime break with a commanding 10-1 lead in shots, but Eastern goalkeeper Marley Redfield made seven saves to keep the score close. The Eagles put pressure on the Devils, as the visitors defense limited FDU to just three shots over the first 25 minutes of the second half. With time running down, the Devils tacked on two more goals to put the game on ice. Off a corner, Sohns set up freshman Haleigh Flukey, and Flukey powered a shot through a scrum for her fourth goal of the season. The senior duo of Chrissy Penney and Cassidy Santorelli hooked up for the final goal of the evening. On a breakout, Penney threaded a ball to Santorelli, who shot past the Eastern goalie for her third goal of the year. Senior Samantha Rubin made three saves, while Pak led the way with four shot attempts.