photo via FSC web site   FSC Press Release   WINTER PARK, FL – Florida Southern College men’s lacrosse overcame a one-goal halftime deficit to earn a 9-8 road win over Sunshine State Conference rival Rollins on Saturday at Baker Family Stadium. The Moccasins (7-6, 2-2 SSC) used a dominant third quarter, scoring three times while holding the Tars (7-6, 2-2) scoreless in the third. With the win, Florida Southern snapped a two-game losing streak and stayed in the hunt for a spot in the SSC Tournament. HOW IT HAPPENED • Rollins jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Connor Ashton scored less than two minutes into the first quarter, but Florida Southern answered back with three-straight goals to snag a 3-1 lead with 11:43 to go in the second quarter. • Cody Gray got the Moccasins on the board when he scored his fourth goal of the season with 6:19 to go in the first. Nick Gutmann put the Mocs ahead with his seventh goal of the year just four minutes later, and Tyler Kopen scored his 20th goal of the season to give Florida Southern a 3-1 lead with just under 12 minutes to go in the first half. • The Tars would close out the half on a 3-0 run, scoring the go-ahead goal with just 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter to take a 4-3 lead into the locker room. • Florida Southern was able to take back the momentum at the start of the third quarter, scoring three-straight to take a 6-4 lead. The Moccasins held the Tars scoreless in the third as Matt Lalli made five saves, while Austen Lison, Dalton Simpson and Liam Winwood found the back of the net. • In the fourth quarter, Florida Southern extended its lead to as many as three goals (8-5), but Rollins responded with back-to-back goals to make cut the Moccasins’ lead to 8-7 with 7:34 to play. • Kyle Silverstein scored what would be the game-winning goal with 5:12 left to play. The Tars would pull within one (9-8) when they scored with eight seconds left, but Florida Southern was able to win the ensuing faceoff and run out the clock. • Florida Southern was outshot by a 42-32 tally, but picked up 27 ground balls and won 14-of-21 faceoffs. The Mocs also converted their lone man-up opportunity, while holding the Tars to just 1-of-3. INSIDE THE NUMBERS • Florida Southern improved to 8-2 all-time against Rollins, including 2-1 when facing the Tars in Winter Park. The Mocs improved to 5-2 on the road this season. • Seven different players scored for the Moccasins. Kopen led Florida Southern with two goals, while Cody Dyer tallied a team-best two assists. • Kopen has scored a goal in seven-straight games, and has score multiple goals in five different games this year. Dyer has tallied at least two assists in three of his last four games. • Jeff Phelps led the Mocs with six ground balls and went 13-of-19 in the faceoff circle. Austen Lison snagged five ground balls while Colin Bayer finished with four. • Matt Lalli made 17 saves in goal to pick up his seventh win of the season. He has recorded double-digit saves nine times this season. He has recorded 171 saves this season, the second-highest single-season total in school history. UP NEXT • Florida Southern caps off the regular season against Lynn at 7 p.m. on April 22. The 2017 Sunshine State Conference Tournament will take place on April 28 (semifinals) and April 30 (championship) with the top four teams in the regular-season standings vying for a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament.   =====   Rollins Press Release   Winter Park, Fla. (April 15, 2017) – Rollins suffered their third one goal loss of the season, falling to Florida Southern 9-8 on Saturday afternoon.  Rollins drops to 7-6 on the season, and 2-2 in Sunshine State Conference play.  The Mocs improve to 7-6 and 2-2 in SSC action. A trio of Tars tallied two goals to lead Rollins; Greg Taicher, Connor Ashton, and Blake Buell all notching two tallies.  Dylan Bassham netted one goal, and Roy Hansen found the back of the net for the first time this season.  Carson Buell set up two teammates, earning a pair of assists while Justin Diamond and Dalton LeMaster registered one a piece.  Ty Wedekind played all 60 minutes in cage, making seven saves. Eight Mocs accounted for the team’s nine goals, with their only multi-goal scoring being Tyler Kopen, who tallied twice.  Cody Dyer led the team with two assists.  Jeff Phelps won 13-19 foceoffs on the day.  Matt Lalli starred for Florida Southern, making 17 saves in his 60 minutes between the pipes. HIGHLIGHTS AND QUARTER-BY-QUARTER ANALYSIS First Quarter | Connor Ashton got Rollins on the board first, scoring off the Tars aggressive ride at the 13:39 mark.  The Tars peppered the goal for the rest of the quarter, but could not net another goal.  The Mocs tallied twice, one at 6:19, and again at 2:42 to take a 2-1 lead. Second Quarter | Florida Southern got on the board first, extending their lead to 3-1.  Rollins stormed back, Dylan Bassham scored first, stinging a shot over the shoulder of Lalli, then Carson Buell tallied back-to-back assists, first feeding Greg Taicher at the 8:30 mark, then finding his brother, Blake Buell, with 20 seconds on the clock, sending the Tars into the half with a 4-3 lead. Third Quarter | The Mocs took the game back in the third quarter, shutting out the Tars, while netting three goals of their own to take us to the final frame with Rollins trailing 6-4. Fourth Quarter | The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair, with each team creating chances.  Roy Hansen opened the scoring, but the Mocs responded with two straight goals to give Florida Southern a 5-8 lead.  Blake Buell and Ashton both tallied to bring the Tars back to with in one, but again the Tars were turned away but a Moc goal at the 5:12 mark.  Rollins would pull with in one, with Taicher’s second of the day, with eight second remaining, but the Tars could not control the ensuing faceoff, as Rollins fell 9-8. GAME NOTES ·      Greg Taicher moves into sole possession of third in the conference in goals scored with 32 on the year. ·      Lucas Brush tallied two caused turnovers, tying him for third in the SSC in the statistic. ·      The Tars are now 2-8 all-time against Florida Southern. ·      Rollins drops to 4-3 in one goal games this years. ·      Carson Buell is now just four assists away from tying Morgan Baker for the most assists in program history. ·      Through 13 games of the 2017 campaign, the Tars are outscoring their opponents 127-126.  NEXT The Tars will now turn their attention to their final game of the Regular season.  Rollins will travel to Melbourne to take on the Florida Tech Panthers.  Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 22.