FSC: Moccasins Begin National Title Defense on Friday at 3:00pm – Live Stream Available!
via press release, picture from FSC web site
BLOOMSBURG, PA – Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse arrived in Pennsylvania on Tuesday ahead of the NCAA Division II Championship. After three days of practice, community engagement, and other team activities, the Moccasins will begin their national title defense when they face No. 3 Lindenwood at 3 p.m. on Friday at Steph Pettit Stadium on the campus of Bloomsburg University.
The Mocs are in search of the Florida Southern’s 30th national title overall, and its second-straight NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse championship. Earlier on Thursday, five different Moccasins were named as IWLCA first or second team all-Americans (Dani Bursinger, Kendall Kerge, Meghan O’Brien, Emily Santoli, Meghan Vadala).
SEMIFINAL INFORMATION
Florida Southern vs. Lindenwood
Friday, May 19 • 3 p.m.
Steph Pettit Stadium • Bloomsburg, PA
FLORIDA SOUTHERN IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Florida Southern is playing in its third-straight NCAA Division II Tournament, and is 4-1 all-time in tournament play.
• The Moccasins are the defending NCAA Division II National Champion after scoring an upset of perennial power Adelphi in last year’s national title game.
• The Mocs rallied from a three-goal halftime deficit to hand the Panthers their first-ever loss in a national championship game. Adelphi had been 7-for-7 in title games entering last year’s tournament.
• In the process, Florida Southern became the first women’s lacrosse program from outside the states of Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania to win an NCAA Division II national championship.
• The national title was the 29th overall for Florida Southern, which has also won national championships in baseball (nine), men’s basketball (two), men’s golf (12), women’s golf (two) and softball (one).
KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE
• Florida Southern is entering the weekend on a school-record 17-game winning streak. The Moccasins have not lost since a 14-11 defeat at Lindenwood on Feb. 26.
• The Moccasins’ winning streak is the longest current winning streak of any Division II program, and the third longest at any level of NCAA women’s lacrosse.
• Maryland sports a current winning streak of 20 games at Division I, while Rhodes has won 19 in a row at the Division III level.
AH, WE MEET AGAIN
• The Mocs are facing Lindenwood for a second-straight season in the national semifinals. Florida Southern took down the Lions, 15-11 in last year’s semifinal matchup.
• Lindenwood has been in the national semifinals each of the past four years, but has yet to advance to an NCAA championship game.
• Florida Southern and Lindenwood have faced each other twice in the NCAA Tournament. The Lions slipped by with a 14-13 victory in double overtime in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
BEATING THE BEST
• According to the most recent NCAA statistical rankings, Florida Southern had the fifth-toughest schedule of any Division II program in 2017.
• The Moccasins’ 2017 opponents have gone a combined 205-109 this season, good for a .653 winning percentage.
• While FSC’s opponents’ winning percentage is just fifth nationally, the 205 victories are more than any other program’s 2017 opponents. Lindenwood, which sported the second-toughest schedule, saw a combined 193 wins from its opponents, the second highest total in the country.
• The Mocs have faced 10 ranked opponents during the year, including nine who were ranked in the IWLCA top 10 at the time of the matchup.
• Florida Southern is 7-2 against ranked opponents this season, and holds a record of 26-15 all-time when facing a ranked opponent.
MOCCASINS AMONG NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
• As a team, Florida Southern ranks in the top 10 nationally in seven different statistical categories. The Moccasins are first in draw controls per game (16.86), second in scoring offense (16.86 gpg), fourth in assists per game (8.45), points per game (25.32) and winning percentage (.909), fifth in free-position percentage (.538) and sixth in scoring margin (+8.36).
• On an individual level, the Mocs appear among the top 50 a total of nine times. Dani Bursinger is fifth nationally in draw controls per game (6.55), Kendall Kerge is seventh in total goals (67), 18th in total points (80) and 27th in goals per game (3.35).
• Megan O’Brien is 12th in total points (84), 35th in total goals (55), 40th in total assists (29) and 47th in points per game (4.20). Emily Santoli ranks 33rd in free-position goals per game (0.79).
The Florida Southern/Lindenwood winner will advance to face the winner of Adelphi/Le Moyne in the national championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Adelphi and Le Moyne square off at 11 a.m. on Friday.
