MADISON, NJ (October 25, 2023) -- A late second-half score from the King's College women's soccer team seemed like it would hold as the game winner, but two goals from the host FDU-Florham in the final 4:15 of play stunned the Monarchs in a 2-1 setback in an important Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) match up. The Monarchs now stand at 6-8-2 overall and 2-3-1 in the conference standings, while the Devils improved to 10-8-1 with a 1-5-0 conference mark.
 
This MAC Freedom battle was as evenly contested as they come from start to finish. FDU-Florham (10-8-1, 1-5-0 MAC Freedom) went on the offensive attack to start, firing off three early shots with two saved by Aspen Wallin. King's (6-8-2, 2-3-1 MAC Freedom) made their first push of the game on attempts from Brooke Finlay and Mikaela Majcher just moments later. The first half of play continued in this rhythm with each team getting their opportunities to break the stalemate, but both defenses held firm as the game remained scoreless at halftime.
 
The early portion of the second half reflected the first, with the Monarchs holding an 8-5 edge in shots over the first 36:06 of play. King's struck first in the contest as Finlay fed Maryanna Garcia in the 81^st minute to give the Monarchs a 1-0 edge with 4:54 remaining.
 
FDU-Florham's offense persisted, finding their equalizer off a corner kick in the 85^th minute before taking a 2-1 edge 2:38 later. King's pushed the pace in the final ticks but were unable to fire off a solid look as the Monarchs fell, 2-1, at FDU-Florham on Wednesday night in the MAC Freedom contest.
 
Garcia scored her goal off three shots with two on goal, while Finlay paced the offense with four attempts and two on frame and an assist. Additionally, both Leah Sankey and Gabriella Porchetta totaled a pair of shots, while Aspen Wallin had seven saves in goal for the Monarchs.
 
Ashley Dietrich led FDU-Florham with a goal and an assist on a game-high tying four shots. Eric Blackburn picked up the win in net with six saves.
 
The score sheet reflected the play to a tee as the shot column was knotted up for the game at 15 attempts each, while the Devils had a slight edge in corner kicks, 5-4.
 
King's will look to finish the 2023 regular season strong on Saturday afternoon, hosting DeSales University in MAC Freedom play at 1:00 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium.