HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 24, 2021)  – A four-goal effort by fifth-year Kyra Bednarski and the first career hat trick by first-year Emily Leiby weren't quite enough as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team dropped a 15-13 decision to Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Wednesday night in a MAC Freedom matchup at a very soggy DeBaun Athletic Complex.

Fifth-year Emily Shanklin netted a pair of goals for the Ducks, who saw eight different student-athletes record at least one point for the second straight game. Sophomore Zoe Cook and classmate Maris Daly also found the back of the net as Stevens dropped to 1-2 on the year and to 1-1 in league play. 

Kylee Garcia had four goals and two assists and Katie Walsh scored five times for FDU-Florham, who moved to 5-0 on the year and to 3-0 in the MAC Freedom. Tonight's matchup was the first between the programs since Mar. 12, 2018 and the 12th meeting in the 2000's. 

Junior Morgan Westerby and sophomore Julieann Murphy each added a goal and sophomore Gale Bennett dished out an assist to round out Stevens' scoring. 

Senior Peyton Taylor drew the start and made one save. Junior Lauren Cunniff came on in relief of Taylor in the second half, also making a save, but suffered her first loss of the season. Maddy Apap played all 60 minutes for FDU-Florham and made four saves to earn the victory,

After the game was delayed at the start because of a hole in the netting of one of the goals, it was the visitors that jumped out to the early lead once the game got underway. After a yellow card was issued to junior Natalie Fitpatrick, Garcia netted her first of the evening 2:19 into the contest. Ciquera converted the Devils' second powerplay of the evening 48 seconds later to give the guests the early lead.

Bednarski brought the Ducks to life, scoring four unanswered goals over a two-and-a-half minute stretch to extend her goal scoring streak to 43 and give the Ducks a 4-2 lead. The Syracuse, New York native's four-goal performance was her third hat trick of the season. FDU's Olivia Cahoush and Daly exchanged powerplay goals before FDU-Florham scored five of the next six goals to jump back in front.

Zoe Cook, Leiby and Westerby scored 1:19 apart to hand the Ducks a 9-8 lead heading into the intermission.

After each team attempted to dry off during the 10-minute intermission, the rain increased and FDU-Florham came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, scoring five straight goals to jump out to a 13-9 lead. Walsh completed her hat trick just 36 seconds into the second half to spark the run and all totaled, Walsh and Garcia accounted for four of the five goals during this game-changing sequence.

The youthful Ducks showed their resiliency, scoring three straight goals to pull within 13-12, consecutive goals from Garcia and Walsh appeared to put the game out of reach. Leiby completed her first career hat trick with five minutes left in the contest to conclude scoring.

Stevens held the advantage in shots, firing off 30 shots in the difficult decisions, while FDU attempted 21. Shanklin fired off a game-high eight shots, while Bednarski and Leiby each took five. Garcia took seven attempts to lead the Devils. Interestingly enough, despite the difference in shot totals, each side had 17 shots on goal.

Under slippery conditions, ball possession was difficult at times for both teams. The teams combined for 45 turnovers, with each team having nine in the first half. The Ducks registered 12 caused turnovers on FDU's 23 mishaps, while the Devils recorded 15 caused turnovers on Stevens' 22 turnovers.Walsh had eight caused turnovers to lead all student-athletes, while Shanklin, Leiby, Zoe Cook and Fitzpatrick each caused two to lead Stevens.

Each team picked up 12 ground balls. Walsh had four to lead all student-athletes, while Leiby's three ground balls led 10 Ducks with at least one.

The Ducks corralled a season-high 19 draw controls against 11 for FDU-Florham. Walsh led all student-athletes with six, while Westerby grabbed a season-high five to lead the Ducks. Daly also contributed on the draws, collecting a career-high four, while Zoe Cook and Shanklin each snagged three. 

Stevens was able to convert 14 of its 16 clearing attempts, while FDU was successful on 16 of its 18 attempts. The Ducks were a perfect 7 for 7 in the opening half. 

Bednarski and Shanklin netted free-position goals as Stevens went 2 for 4 on the evening. Ciquera went 2 for 2 to lead FDU-Florham and Chaoush converted her only eight-meter attempt as the Devils went 4 for 6 on free-position shots.

The Ducks were carded seven times during the contest, with FDU-Florham receiving three. The abundance of cards led to four powerplay goals for FDU-Florham. Daly scored for Stevens on the person-advantage, while Shanklin converted a free-position shot short-handed to account for the Ducks' special teams goals.

Up Next: Women's Lacrosse heads to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for a Saturday afternoon matinee against Wilkes University on Mar. 27. It is believed to be the first meeting between the programs. Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

Please note that all event times, dates and opponents are subject to change and fans remain prohibited from attending Middle Atlantic Conference athletic events.

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