FSC Women: #6 Florida Southern Takes Down Undefeated Wingate
LAKELAND, Fla. – The sixth-ranked Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse team won their third straight game on Wednesday afternoon, defeating Wingate University 19-13.
Brittany Iamele earned the win for the Moccasins after starting the game and making eight saves on eleven shots in the first half before a lightning delay extended halftime to nearly an hour. Abby McFerren and Madison Tare each scored four goals to give the Mocs the advantage as part of a 19-goal effort.
Florida Southern got off to a scorching start, scoring the game’s first six goals. After a back-and-forth opening five minutes, Maria Reeves started the scoring, with Tare and McFerren each scoring their first of the game in the same minute.
Hailey Daleo and Brenna Smith each wound up scoring in the first quarter, while McFerren found the back of the net twice more in the frame, securing the hat-trick in the first fifteen minutes.
The Mocs took a 6-1 lead into the second quarter and scored three consecutive times to start the period. Marlee Moon Gaddy scored a goal, and Ellie Griffin struck twice before Tare scored to make it 12-2, starting the running clock for a brief period.
Right as the teams walked off for halftime, a lightning delay was enforced, keeping both teams in the locker room for an extended period of time. Wingate responded with a tenacious third quarter, outscoring Florida Southern to cut the deficit, making it 15-9 heading into the fourth quarter. Tare scored twice and Reese Colwell notched her second goal of the season to keep the Mocs in control heading to the final frame.
Patricia Werker took over the net for the entirety of the fourth quarter, making three saves to keep the visiting Bulldogs at bay. Gaddy and Griffin each scored another goal, while Daleo scored twice in the fourth to maintain a six-goal lead as the final horn sounded.
Of the 19 goals scored, 11 were assisted, as Smith, Daleo, and McFerren each tallied two. McFerren had a fantastic outing, filling the score sheet by tacking on four goals, three ground balls, four draw controls, and two caused turnovers.
Florida Southern has now scored 19 or more goals in four of their five games this season heading into the final two games of their homestand, with the next matchup coming on March 18 against the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
