FDU-Florham 2, Farmingdale State 1
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | Freshman midfielder Rachell McAuliff's (Sayville, N.Y.) 53rd-minute goal was not enough for the Farmingdale State College women's soccer team on Wednesday, as it fell in non-conference play to visiting Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham, 2-1.
After a scoreless first half in which the host Rams (5-7-4) held an 11-3 advantage in shots, McAuliff's breakthrough goal came just over seven minutes into the second frame. After winning the ball in the middle of the field, she played a give-and-go with junior
Alyse Rivera (Manhattan, N.Y.) to get free on the right flank. The freshman cut back towards the middle of the field and sent a 30-yard shot into the top-left corner of the Devils' (7-8) goal, good for her team-leading eighth score of the season and giving FSC a 1-0 edge. For Rivera, it was her team and career-high seventh assist of the season
FDU countered with a pair of partial breakaway goals six minutes apart from Mia Lopez to go ahead 2-1 with 27 minutes left, with the eventual game-winning score coming just seconds after McAuliff had a shot cleared off the goal line by the Devils defense. Rams sophomore
Kayla Mendez (Staten Island, N.Y.) and McAuliff put shots on frame with 6:34 and 0:57 remaining, respectively, with the Fairleigh Dickinson goalie able to make both stops to preserve the victory for the visitors.
Junior goalie
Kelsie Feingold (Commack, N.Y.) made a pair of first-half saves for FSC, with freshman
Sam Richards (Ellicott City, Md.) turning aside a trio of Devils efforts in the second 45-minute segment.
Farmingdale State returns to the road for Skyline Conference action on Friday, when it travels to Throggs Neck, N.Y., for a 4 p.m. start at SUNY Maritime College.
