Jupiter alum Jackson Bashaw 1G/1A for Tampa. Dwyer alum Reid Kerr 15 saves, Hagerty alum Christian Hofer 2G/4A for ERAU

via the school press releases/websites

BOX SCORE

Spartans Come Out Victorious in Conference Battle on the Road

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No. 3 Tampa survives a close conference battle on the road against Embry-Riddle.

The game would begin with the Eagles breaking the ice first just two minutes into the game. Less than 30 seconds later, Owen Miller would net his 11^th goal of the season to tie the game at one. Canyon Birch would go on to net consecutive goals less than one minute apart to put Tampa in the lead. The Eagles would get one back before Andrew Milani found Jackson Bashaw in front of the net to regain the two-goal lead for Tampa. Milani would go on to score his 25^th goal of the season, cushioning the Spartan lead. Alex Poma and Miller would net late goals to send Tampa into the second quarter with a three-goal lead.

The second quarter began with the Eagles opening the scoring. With just over seven minutes left before the break, Milani would net his second of the game, establishing Tampa’s three-goal lead once again. With 24 seconds before the half, Miller would finish off his hat trick, sending the Spartans into halftime with a four-goal lead.

The second half began with Embry-Riddle netting the first goal once again. The Eagles would go on to net one more before Birch netted his second of the game off a pass from Poma. Embry-Riddle would net three consecutive goals to tie the game at 10 with just over five minutes left in the quarter. After a faceoff win by Poma, Birch would finish his hattrick off a pass from Bashaw to put Tampa in the lead once again. Miller found the back of the net for the fourth time in the game to build the Spartans’ lead back up two headed into the final 15 minutes.

The final 15 minutes began with the Eagles finding the back of the net, making it a one-goal game once again. Embry-Riddle would score again soon after to tie the game at 12. Charlie Bolesh and Birch would net back-to-back goals to place Tampa in the lead once again. The Eagles would respond soon after, keeping the game within one. The duo of Bolesh and Birch would record another goal before the Eagles answered to keep the game close. Birch would net three consecutive goals, with an assist on the first one from teammate Mitchell Pfeiffer to secure the Spartan win.

Stat of the Game – Canyon Birch recorded a game-leading eight goals.

TAMPA POST-GAME NOTES 

• The Spartans have won nine straight.
• Luca Mercaldo recorded 6 saves.
• Owen Miller recorded his first hat trick of the season.
• Birch led Tampa in goals with 8.
• Charlie Villa recorded two saves.  
• Poma led the game in groundballs with 15.
• Birch netted his 9^th hat trick of the season (12 games).

UP NEXT – Tampa returns home for the final time in the regular season on Saturday to take on Lynn at 3 p.m.

*****

Eagles Nearly Upend No. 3 Tampa, Fall to Spartans, 18-14

by Michael Black

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle lacrosse team fought its toughest opponent on a rain-drenched ERAU Lacrosse Field on Wednesday, and despite a strong second half, ultimately fell to No. 3 Tampa, 18-14. The Eagles (6-4, 2-1 SSC) battled the entire 60 minutes with the third-ranked Spartans (11-1, 4-0 SSC) and nearly came up with the win.
 
ERAU was paced on the day by a trio of hat tricks from Joe Anderson, Pete Abbes and Isaiah Hines, while Christian Hofer registered six points on two goals and four assists. Marcus Needham nabbed a pair of goals as well to go along with two assists, and Coleman Jacobs netted a goal and two assists for three points.
 
Reid Kerr once again stood on his head to collect an impressive 15 saves to nine goals allowed before yielding to Carter Groezinger who himself made nine stops to nine goals allowed. The pair of Eagle netminders withstood one of the nation’s toughest offenses, while the Eagle defense kept things at bay for much of the contest.
 
Tampa won all but the third period, starting with a 7-4 advantage after the first. Joe Anderson began his hat trick to open up the game’s scoring at the 13:31 mark, but the Spartans reeled off three in a row before Hines netted one at 9:03 to make it 3-2. From there, Tampa added two more in quick succession, while Hofer added his first of the day with 3:53 left. The two sides traded goals down the stretch for an eventful first period. Hofer added his second, an unassisted goal at 2:27, but UT scored the final of the frame to make it 7-5.
 
Only three total goals came in the second period, with Hines netting the first at 13:02. With the weather worsening, UT capitalized halfway through and with under 30 ticks left in the half to take a 9-5 lead into the break.
 
But the Eagles surged in the third period, winning the frame 5-3. Anderson nabbed his second then completed the hat trick within a minute of each other to pull within two at 9-7. After UT notched two more to go up four, Abbes tallied two quick goals back-to-back, then Jacobs tied things up at 10-10 with 5:26 to play in the third. Tampa quickly connected on two more down the stretch, however, to go up 12-10 heading into the fourth. 
 
Needham tied things up once again with two goals within 40 seconds, the second of which was in a man-up situation. Hofer and Jacobs collected assists on Needham’s goals and things sat even at 12-12. 
 
The Spartans maintained control in the waining minutes, though. Both Hines (8:06) and Abbes (4:32) kept the Eagles alive and in things, eventually down just one to the nation’s number three team. But UT fired off three goals within two minutes down the stretch to run away with a closer-than-the-scoreboard 18-14 win.
 
After nearly knocking off No. 3, the Eagles will hit the road this weekend with a trip to RV Florida Tech at 11 a.m. Saturday.