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BOX SCORE

#11 Women’s Lacrosse Knocks Off #14 Rollins in the SSC Semifinals

LAKELAND, Fla. – No. 11 Florida Southern women’s lacrosse advances to its sixth straight Sunshine State Conference Championship game after defeating no. 14 Rollins College 17-11 at Berend Field in the semifinal matchup Thursday afternoon. 

Florida Southern (15-3) moves to 10-1 at home and will travel to Tampa to play the 12th-ranked Spartans Sunday at Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex. Brittany Iamele and Patricia Werker split time in goal to give the Moccasins the win where Werker, who earned the win in goal, tallied five saves with Iamele making two. 

Abby McFerren, Hailey Daleo and Lizzy Lynch all scored four goals for the Mocs while Madison Tare had two, and Marlee Moon Gaddy, Ellie Griffin, and Katie Yeagle all had one. 

Florida Southern opened up with a 6-1 lead in the first period, and a 3-0 start, with goals from Lizzy Lynch, Hailey Daleo, and Marlee Moon Gaddy. Rollins poked one in the back of the cage with 7:37 to play before the Mocs closed the first period with three unanswered from Abby McFerren, Lynch and Madison Tare. 

Rollins (13-4) used a 5-3 second period to cut the gap to 9-6 in favor of FSC. Ellie Griffin would convert the first goal of the second period to give the Mocs momentum but Rollins would rip off three straight to make it 7-4. Lynch and McFerren would be split by a pair of Rollins goals for a 9-6 advantage heading into the break. 

Both teams would find the back of the net three times in the third period where Rollins opened the new half with a goal at the 13:14 mark, making it 10-7. Tare would convert the woman-up free position shot to push the lead back to four but the Tars wouldn’t be silenced just yet, finding the back of the net for a 10-8 game. Daleo and McFerren would each score to give the Mocs a cushion and a 12-8 lead followed by a Rollins goal to close the period as Florida Southern held on for a 12-9 lead through 45 minutes. 

The Mocs would catch fire and score five unanswered goals to blow open the game with goals from Daleo, Lynch, Yeagle, McFerren, and Daleo again before the Tars found the net for a pair in the final frame. 

Florida Southern advances to its sixth straight SSC tournament championship game after defeating the Tars and will face Tampa at a time yet to be determined, pending the results of the men’s semifinal game being played later Thursday evening. The Spartans earned their birth to the championship game after knocking off fourth-seeded, No. 24 Saint Leo 19-6 Thursday afternoon. 

For more information on the Sunshine State Conference tournament and the game time for the championship, stay tuned to sunshinestateconference.com/sports/wlax or on social media @FSC_MOCS, @FSC_WLAX, or @D2SSC. 

*****

Tars Drop SSC Semifinal Tilt

The No. 14 Tars could not complete a valiant comeback attempt, as Rollins fell to the No. 11 Florida Southern Mocs, 17-11, in the semifinal round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament

LAKELAND, Fla. (April 28, 2022) – The No. 14 Tars could not complete a valiant comeback attempt, as Rollins fell to the No. 11 Florida Southern Mocs, 17-11, in the semifinal round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament.  The third-seeded Tars fall to 13-4 on the year, as they bow out of conference tournament.  The second-seeded Mocs advance to Sunday’s SSC Championship against the Tampa Spartans with a record of 14-3.

A trio of Tars, Claire Reist, Caroline Gastonguay, and Liz Fahey, each found the back of the net twice to pace the Rollins offense.  Caroline Gastonguay and Reist each added as assist for a team high three points.  Abigail Cawley led Rollins with a pair of assists.  Bridget Cawley caused three turnovers for the Tars defensively, while Whintey MacMillan collected a team high five draw controls.  Rachel Schlesinger got the start in net for Rollins, making eight saves.  Claire Barber saw ten minutes of relief work between the pipes.

Lizzy Lynch, Hailey Daleo, and Abby McFerren led the Mocs, tallying four goals apiece.  Madison Tare registered five points, with a pair of goals and a trio of assists.  Brittany Iamele got the start in net for the Mocs, making a pair saves in the first half of action.  Patricia Werker played the final 30 minutes for Florida Southern and made five saves.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Quarter

• The Mocs jumped out to an early lead, scoring three goals over the first six minutes of the game.
• Caroline Gastonguay net the Tars first goal to make the score 3-1 at the halfway point of the quarter.
• Florida Southern would close the quarter with a second three goal spurt to put Rollins in a five goal hole after one quarter.

Second Quarter

• The Mocs tallied the first goal of the second period to balloon their lead to 7-1.
• The Tars would claw back into the game with a three goal run of their own.  Taylor Kienle opened the scoring for Rollins.
• Courtney Martin found the back of the net for the first time in her collegiate career for Rollins’ second straight goal.
• Abigail Cawley assisted Liz Fahey for her first score, as the Tars fought back to 7-4.
• Florida Southern would stop the run with a goal at the 7:05 mark, but Rollins would respond with goals from Ali Rogers and a Caroline Gastonguay score, off an assist from Claire Reist.
• The Mocs would tally once more in the quarter, as Rollins entered the break trailing by three, at 9-6.

Third Quarter

• Claire Reist cut the deficit to two, opening the third quarter with a goal for the Tars.
• The Mocs regained their three goal lead with a score, but Reist would tally again, this time off an assist from Abigail Cawley.  However, the 10-8 scoreline was as close as the Tars would get down the stretch run.
• Florida Southern scored twice, before Fahey and Abigail Cawley connected for the Tars ninth goal, as the teams entered the final 15 minutes in a 12-9 battle.

Fourth Quarter

• Rollins comeback hopes were dashed by a five goal run from the Mocs to open the fourth quarter, as Florida Southern grew their lead to 17-9.
• The Gastonguay sisters connected to stop the Tars’ scoring drought, with Caroline feeding Charlotte with just under six minutes left to play.
• Sophia Schindel tallied her first collegiate point, assisting Shannon Polk for her first goal of the year, as the Tars made the score 17-11, but that it was too little for the Tars as the final second ticked off the clock.

UP NEXT:
Rollins awaits their NCAA Tournament fate. The NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday, May 8.

Fans can follow the Tars all season long at RollinsSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins Sports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.