FSC: #2 Women’s Lacrosse Outlasts #13 Mavs with Strong Fourth Quarter
LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 2 Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse team defeated No. 13 Mercy College 16-13 on Thursday night, winning their fifth game this season over a ranked opponent.
The Moccasins (8-0) were led by Hailey Daleo, Abby McFerren, and Jackie Stoller, who each recorded five points in the win. Rylie Rittberg started in net and earned her sixth win of the season in the outing. The Mavericks fall to 3-3 on the season despite strong showings from sisters Jaclyn and Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk.
The teams matched up extremely well over the course of the first three quarters, as the teams were knotted up at the end of the half and the third quarter before the Mocs took the momentum.
Over the course of the game, the Moccasins scored seven player-up goals while also converting on seven of ten free-position attempts.
It was the Mavericks who scored first, taking an early lead before a pair of tallies from Daleo gave the Mocs their first advantage, albeit short-lived.
The Mavs responded with three consecutive goals to reclaim the lead, making it 4-2 until Lizzy Lynch hit the back of the net at the end of the quarter to trim the deficit heading into the second frame.
Stoller’s first goal of the game tied it early in the second, but again Mercy responded with a trio of goals to take a 7-4 lead. The first real momentum shift of the game came when McFerren scored twice to end the Maverick onslaught. Daleo and Madison Tare followed suit to give the Mocs their first lead of the game since the midway point of the first quarter.
With the score 8-7, the Mavericks tied the game late in the half to send the teams to the locker room even.
Just as they started the game, Mercy came out with momentum, scoring the first two goals of the third quarter to take a 10-8 lead. Daleo and McFerren responded promptly to tie the game at 10. The teams traded goals for the remainder of the third, with Lynch and Sammy Gorrasi converting for Florida Southern.
Heading into the fourth quarter even at 12, the Moccasins emerged on a four-goal scoring run, with Tare and Daleo each finding the back of the net while Stoller scored twice to put the game out of reach in the waning minutes of the game. The Moccasins would concede one late goal, but the final effort was more than enough as Florida Southern held on to win 16-13.
Draw controls were a key factor down the stretch, as freshman Casey Falduto took the majority of the responsibility in the draw circle over the course of the second half, recording two ground balls, a caused turnover, and a draw control.
The Moccasins will return to play on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. as they take on No. 21 Bentley University at home. It will also be Senior Day at Berend Field as Florida Southern continues their stretch of home games against ranked opponents.
Scoring Summary
| 1st Period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:23 |  | MC – Erin Shimborske | 1 | 0 |
| 09:16 |  | FSC – Hailey Daleo Assisted by Jackie Stoller | 1 | 1 |
| 08:22 | | FSC – Hailey Daleo | 1 | 2 |
| 06:57 | | MC – Jaclyn Grzelaczyk | 2 | 2 |
| 05:27 | | MC – Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk | 3 | 2 |
| 04:30 | | MC – Leah Hansen Assisted by Jaclyn Grzelaczyk | 4 | 2 |
| 01:04 | | FSC – Lizzy Lynch Assisted by Abby McFerren | 4 | 3 |
| 2nd Period | ||||
| 14:09 | | FSC – Jackie Stoller | 4 | 4 |
| 10:47 | | MC – Leena Moussa | 5 | 4 |
| 10:28 | | MC – Leena Moussa Assisted by Micayla Brady | 6 | 4 |
| 09:06 | | MC – Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk Assisted by Kelly Rosenfeld | 7 | 4 |
| 05:56 | | FSC – Abby McFerren | 7 | 5 |
| 04:29 | | FSC – Abby McFerren | 7 | 6 |
| 03:35 | | FSC – Hailey Daleo | 7 | 7 |
| 02:51 | | FSC – Madison Tare | 7 | 8 |
| 02:35 | | MC – Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk | 8 | 8 |
| 3rd Period | ||||
| 13:45 | | MC – Christina Lopreato | 9 | 8 |
| 08:17 | | MC – Jaclyn Grzelaczyk Assisted by Emma Rippon | 10 | 8 |
| 07:13 | | FSC – Hailey Daleo Assisted by Jackie Stoller | 10 | 9 |
| 06:04 | | FSC – Abby McFerren | 10 | 10 |
| 05:02 | | MC – Leena Moussa | 11 | 10 |
| 04:50 | | FSC – Lizzy Lynch Assisted by Abby McFerren | 11 | 11 |
| 00:19 | | FSC – Sammy Gorrasi | 11 | 12 |
| 00:04 | | MC – Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk Assisted by Jaclyn Grzelaczyk | 12 | 12 |
| 4th Period | ||||
| 10:13 | | FSC – Madison Tare | 12 | 13 |
| 07:22 | | FSC – Jackie Stoller | 12 | 14 |
| 02:49 | | FSC – Hailey Daleo Assisted by Emma Dudley | 12 | 15 |
| 01:53 | | FSC – Jackie Stoller | 12 | 16 |
| 01:19 | | MC – Emma Rippon Assisted by Jaclyn Grzelaczyk | 13 | 16 |
