via FSC press release  

Moccasins Clinch Fourth-Straight SSC Championship

LAKELAND, FL – On a day in which Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse honored its seven seniors, the Moccasins also clinched their fourth-straight Sunshine State Conference regular-season title with a 23-2 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday afternoon at Moccasin Field. The No. 4 Moccasins (17-1, 5-1 SSC) scored six times in the opening two minutes and saw their senior class combine for 10 goals in the win over the Sailfish (1-14, 0-6). With the win, the Mocs clinch the top seed in next week’s Sunshine State Conference Tournament. Full tournament details, including a bracket, game times, and matchups, will be released by the conference office this weekend. HOW IT HAPPENED • Florida Southern jumped on top early when Marina Jozokos scored just 43 seconds into the first half as the Moccasins scored six times in the opening two minutes of play. Meghan O’Brien would tack on the second goal of the game with 28:58 to go in the first and would score all three of her goals in the first two minutes of play. • The Mocs led 12-0 midway through the opening period before Palm Beach Atlantic got on the board with a goal at the 15:53 mark of the first, but Florida Southern scored the final four goals of the half to take a 16-1 lead at the break. • The Sailfish scored first to open the second half, but it would be the final time that PBA would find the back of the net as six different players combined for seven more Moccasin goals in the second half to make the final 23-2. •  Florida Southern outshot PBA 31-8, won 21-of-25 draw controls, and collected 16 ground balls to just five for the Sailfish. All three goalkeepers on the Moccasin roster played at least 12 minutes in goal, while 17 different players scored at least one goal. The seven-member senior class for the Mocs combined for 10 goals, five assists, two ground balls, and two caused turnovers. Six of the seven seniors scored a goal in the game, led by a game-high three from O’Brien. INSIDE THE NUMBERS • Florida Southern improved to 1-0 all-time against Palm Beach Atlantic, which is in its first year as a women’s lacrosse program. The Moccasins also moved to 17-1 all-time in SSC regular-season contests. The Mocs are the only school to win an SSC regular-season title since the conference began sponsoring women’s lacrosse in 2015. • The Moccasins finished the regular-season with a perfect 11-0 record at home, and have won 23-straight home games dating back to last year. The 23-goal output marked the eighth time this season that Florida Southern has scored at least 20 goals. • Prior to the game, the graduating senior class of Micaela Gately, Shannon Gilfedder, Shannon Mazza, Meghan O’Brien, Sarah Rheinsmith, Emily Santoli, and Meghan Vadala were honored on the field. The group has led FSC to four-straight SSC regular-season titles, two conference tournament titles, an NCAA Division II national championship in 2016, and a national runner-up finish last year. The Mocs have gone 76-11 over the past four seasons. UP NEXT • Florida Southern will find out who it will play in the upcoming Sunshine State Conference Tournament when the conference releases the bracket with times and matchups later this week. The Mocs will face the No. 4 seed after securing the No. 1 seed via their regular-season title.   *****   via PBA press release  

Women’s Lax Wraps First Season In Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla. – Palm Beach Atlantic women’s lacrosse wrapped up their inaugural season on Saturday against No. 4 Florida Southern, losing to the Mocs by a final count of 23-2.

The Sailfish scored one goal in each half as Julia del Carmen got PBA on the board in the first half with her 14th of the season. Grace Bartlinski added her 37th of the year in the second half as Dom Barber picked up her 12th save. Bartlinski and Barber finish the season as the team’s leaders in goals and assists.

The Mocs scored the first 12 goals of the game and led 16-1 at halftime. The Sailfish held them to just seven goals in the second half and kept the Mocs off the scoreboard for the final 12 minutes. Sarah Vernarelli made seven saves in goal for PBA while also leading the team with two ground balls.

PBA closes the season with a final record of 1-14 and 0-6 in the SSC.