via FSC press release   LAKELAND, FL – Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse jumped out to a big early lead but had to hold off a furious late rally as it picked up a thrilling 13-12 win over No. 17 Tampa in Sunshine State Conference action on Tuesday at Moccasin Field. The No. 1 Moccasins (11-0, 2-0 SSC) raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first eight minutes of action before the Spartans (8-4, 1-1) found their footing and gave the Mocs perhaps their toughest test of the season. Leading by four goals (13-9) with five minutes to go, Florida Southern saw its lead dwindle to just one (13-12) with 1:22 on the clock before Emily Santoli snagged a crucial draw control to allow the Mocs to run out the moments of play en route to the win. HOW IT HAPPENED • Florida Southern looked as if it might roll to another easy win as Santoli scored less than two minutes into the first half as the Moccasins struck for four goals in the first eight minutes of action. Marina Jozokos, Shannon Mazza, and Meghan O’Brien also tallied goals in the opening eight minutes. Tampa got on the board at the 20:23 mark of the half to slice the deficit to three (4-1), but the Mocs answered right away when Dani Bursinger converted a free-position shot less than a minute later to make it 5-1. • Despite its early scoring run, Florida Southern’s offense would falter late in the first half as Tampa ended the opening period on a 3-1 run to make it 6-4 at the half. Santoli opened the second-half scoring just a minute into the action, and the Moccasins struck for three goals in the opening five minutes of the half to take a 9-5 lead with 24:54 to play. • After the Spartans scored to make it 9-6 at the 22:10 mark, Santoli would fire home her third goal of the evening to push the lead back to four (10-6) at the 21:54 mark. However, Tampa would score the next three goals to pull within one (10-9) with just under 11 minutes to play. Florida Southern answered with three-straight goals of its own to go back up by four (13-9) with just over seven minutes to go. • Despite a sizeable lead, the Mocs were forced to hang on for dear life at the end of the game. The Spartans scored three times in the final five minutes, including a goal with 1:22 to play, to put the pressure on Florida Southern with just moments to go. Santoli was able to corral the final draw control, and Sam Keesey came up with key ground ball pickup to help the Mocs gain the final possession of the game and run out the clock. • Santoli tallied her seventh hat trick of the season, while Bursinger, O’Brien, and Shannon Gilfedder each scored twice. Riley Bannatyne and Catherine DeKorte also scored in the game, while six different players tallied an assist. Santoli snagged a game-high 10 draw controls, while Keesey caused three turnovers. The Moccasins outshot the Spartans 36-24, but Tampa goalkeeper Bridget Sutter helped keep her team in the game by making 14 saves. INSIDE THE NUMBERS • Florida Southern improved to 7-0 all-time against Tampa, including 5-0 when facing the Spartans at home. The Moccasins ran their regular-season winning streak to 26 in a row while extending their home win streak to 21-straight games. The Mocs improved their record in regular-season SSC contest to a perfect 14-0 all-time. • Santoli has scored at least three goals in each of the past four games. Florida Southern is 6-0 against ranked opponents this year and improved its all-time record against ranked opponents to a whopping 33-16. UP NEXT • Florida Southern travels to Mount Olive on April 30 and returns to Sunshine State Conference play at Rollins on April 4.   *****   via UT press release  

Moccasins Barely Slither Past Spartans

LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 1 Florida Southern College Moccasins slither past the No. 17  University of Tampa Spartans by a final score of 13-12. INSIDE THE MATCHUP: Final: No. 17 Tampa Spartans 12, No. 1 Florida Southern Moccasins 13 Records: University of Tampa (8-4), Florida Southern College (11-0) Location:  Barnett Athletic Complex | Lakeland, Fla. All-time Series: The Moccasins leads the all-time series against the Spartans 7-0. Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Vimeo. HOW IT HAPPENED: 1st Half

• Florida Southern scored the first four goals of the game in the first eight minutes of play.
• Finally, with 20:23 left in the first half, Rachel Crawford ended the silence for the Spartans putting them on the board.
• The Mocs were quick to answer with another goal, leading 5-1.
• Senior Shannon Sweeney then scored for Tampa off a free position shot. FSC held the lead 5-2.
• With 12:19 remaining in the half, Natalie Carraway earned her first goal of the day.
• The Mocs then scored their final goal of the half with 7:14 remaining.
• To end the first half, sophomore Maggie Gladden netted a goal for Tampa.
• Heading into halftime, the No. 1 Florida Southern College Moccasins lead the University of Tampa Spartans 6-4.

  2nd Half

• To start the second half, it was FSC who scored first with 29:00 minutes left on the clock. They continued to hold the lead 7-4.
• However, Natalie Carraway was quick to answer with her second goal of the game, the assist from Gladden.
• The Moccasins then cushioned their lead 9-5 logging two more goals, the first with 25:35 and the second with 24:54 left in the game.
• Down 9-5, Tampa Head Coach Kelly Gallagher called a timeout.
• After the timeout, UT’s Claire Swanson then scored for the Spartans off a free position shot. The Spartans still trailed the Mocs 9-6.
• Florida Southern then scored with 22:24 left in the game.
• With 13:45 left to play, freshman Kayla Kosubinsky then recorded her first goal of the game.
• Shortly after, Swanson scored again for the Spartans, now only trailing by two.
• Kosubinsky then netted her second goal of the game, narrowing FSC’s lead to one. The score FSC 10, UT 9.
• Then in a three-minute span, Florida Southern scored three unanswered goals. The Moccasins once again cushioned their lead over the Spartans 13-9.
• However, the Spartans continued to fight, and sophomore Swanson then netted another goal for Tampa with 5:04 left in the game.
• Then with 3:57 left in the contest, Caroline Forester scored a goal for the Spartans, the assist from Amanda Rom. UT still trailing by two.
• Worried about the momentum Tampa was quickly building, Florida Southern was forced to call a timeout. The Moccasins still held the lead over the Spartans 13-11.
• After the timeout, Rachel Crawford then scored for UT with 1:24 left in the game. The score, FSC 13, Tampa 12.
• The No. 1 Florida Southern College Moccasins defeat the No. 17 University of Tampa Spartans 13-12.

  INSIDE THE STATS:

• Swanson led the Spartans in four stat categories. The sophomore had three goals, 4 draw control wins, four ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
• Crawford, Carraway, and Kosubinsky each had two goals for the Spartans.
• Gladden and Rom had the team’s two assists.
• Alexa Scudillo logged three draw control wins for Tampa.
• Abby Coccagna and Caroline Forester each had three ground balls for Tampa.
• Freshman goalkeeper Bridget Sutter recorded 14 saves against the top-ranked Moccasins.

  UP NEXT: Tampa will host the Colorado State-Pueblo ThunderWolves on Saturday, March 31^st at 1:00 p.m. TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP: A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row.