TEANECK, N.J.- The FDU women's lacrosse team made history today (2/18) opening their inaugural season at University Stadium. The Knights lost to Manhattan by a final score of 16-7 but there are a lot of positives that can be taken from the game.
The game started off on a very positive note with FDU scoring their first goal in program history. With 14:19 on the clock freshman
Brielle McInaw scored her first collegiate goal to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Manhattan quickly answered back two minutes later with a goal of their own scored by Caroline D'Agostino which tied the game up at 1-1 with 12:15 remaining in the first quarter.
FDU responded just over a minute later with a goal scored by graduate student Saige-Lyn Gidzinski. This resecured the Knights lead at 2-1.
Manhattan again came back with a goal and tied the game at 2-2 thanks to Caroline D'Agostinos' second goal of the game.
Just 43 seconds later with 8:12 remaining in the first FDU found another breakthrough. Gidzinski scored her second goal of the game on a beautiful run from behind the net, Saige quickly turned and took a snap-shot that ended up in the top corner of the net to give the Knights a 3-2 lead.
Manhattan came back with a goal less than a minute later to tie that game at 3-3 with 7:34 in the first quarter. Reagan Mullins scored the goal and Julianna Iovine was credited with the assist.
With 4:10 remaining in the quarter the Knights regained the lead with a goal from freshman Lindsey Felician, her first collegiate goal. The goal was assisted by Gidzinski which made the score 4-3.
The Jaspers were able to tie the match at 4-4 through a Jillian Reiner goal with just over three minutes to play in the quarter.
The Knights had six shots on target in the quarter and freshman goalkeeper Skylar Goodman recorded three saves.
Manhattan dominated the second quarter scoring three unanswered goals to give the Jaspers a 7-4 lead going into the half.
Freshman goalkeeper Jewel Horsmon made three saves in the quarter.
The Jaspers came out of the half hot and scored another five unanswered goals taking the total to eight unanswered goals in a row.
The Knights knew that giving up was not an option and after a timeout was called by coach Jessica Pandolf FDU showed their positive team attitude and scored two goals.
Freshman RIley Eaton scored her first career goal with 1:04 remaining in the quarter to make the score 12-5.
Right at the buzzer with four seconds remaining in the quarter, McInaw scored her second goal of the match to cut into the deficit and make it a 12-6 game.
Goalkeeper Goodman showed her class in the period and stopped three impressive shots.
Manhattan opened the scoring in the quarter through a Jillian Reiner goal which made the tally 13-6.
FDU again showed their fighting spirit and scored a free position goal which freshman Alyssa Perez worked hard to get. This made the score 13-7 with 6:44 remaining in the final quarter.
The Jaspers scored the final three goals of the game which brought the final score to 16-7.
"I am incredibly proud of this team!" stated coach Pandolf "We are so young compared to most of the teams we will be facing. I think if we continue to start games the way they did today and we are able to stay more consistent throughout the game we will be just fine." Coach Pandolf also saw many positives in the game. "The positives are that we have great lacrosse players. We definitely have some areas to work on as all teams do. We will only improve and get better. They will get a lot of experience from this season, and I am so excited to see them get more confident and develop." There are a few key areas where coach Pandlof would like to see improvement, "We need to improve in our clearing and transition game. I think we will gain more confidence in that area once we compete in more games."
There are lots of positives to take from the first-ever FDU Lacrosse game which the team will build on. The fighting spirit of the team is clear to see and their never say never attitude will do wonders for them throughout the season. With experience and game time, confidence will be built, and everyone is excited to see what this team can achieve this season.
The Knights have three days to rest, recover, and get ready for their next game against Iona on Wednesday, February 22nd at 3PM. The game will be played in New Rochelle, N.Y at Mazzella Field. The Knights will look to build on this game against Manhattan and take the lessons they've learned and apply them against Iona.
To purchase inaugural season merchandise head to ShopFDUKnights.com.
Connect with FDU women's lacrosse on Twitter and Instagram, @FDUKnightsWLAX.
