Tampa Men Score Early and Grind Out 16-9 Win over Rollins in SSC Title Game; Birch 6G/1A, Milani 3G/2A, Poma 22 for 28 for UT, Mattson 3G/1A, Myers 2G/2A for Rollins. Katch/Mercaldo 14 Svs Each in Goalie Battle – Both Recaps
Jupiter alum Jackson Bashaw 5GBs, East Lake alum Jackson Day 4GBs/1CTO for Tampa.
via the school press releases/websites
Tampa Captures SSC Championship Title for Eighth Time
TAMPA, Fla. – No.3 Tampa captures the SSC Championship after taking down No.9 Rollins at home.
The Spartans would waste no time to begin the game, with Andrew Milani finding Canyon Birch in front of the net to open the scoring in the conference championship matchup. Rollins would respond soon after, tying the game at one. Birch went on to net his second of the game off a pass from Ryan Kemp to put Tampa back in lead. Goalkeeper Luca Mercaldo recorded a save with just under eight minutes left in the quarter, ensuring Tampa stayed in the lead. With just under four and a half minutes, Birch recorded his 10th hat trick of the season after capitalizing off a pass from Charlie Bolesh. Bolesh would net one of his own less than one minute later, building the Tampa lead to three. The Tars would get one back late in the quarter before the duo of Bolesh and Birch struck again, sending Tampa into the second 15 minutes with a three goal lead.
The second quarter began with Alex Poma winning the opening face-off, sending the Spartans into the offensive zone. Less than three minutes in Birch netted his fifth of the game off a pass from Owen Miller to extend the Tampa lead to four, causing Rollins to call a timeout. Miller went on to net one of his own, capitalizing off a pass from Nick Papa. Just one minute later, Andrew Milani scored, and then assisted Birch‘s sixth goal of the game extending the Spartans’ lead to seven. Rollins would net three consecutive goals to cut the Tampa lead to four headed into halftime.
The second half began with Milani netting back-to-back goals to finish off his hat trick. Rollins got one back on a man-advantage to keep it a five goal game. The Tars continued to find the back of the net, before Papa netted one off a pass from Miller. The teams would head into the final 15 minutes with a four goal difference in favor of Tampa.
The final 15 minutes began with Miller scoring his second of the game, to cushion the Tampa lead. Rollins got one back before Tampa netted three straight goals behind Kemp, Bolesh, and Zack Friend propeling Tampa to the SSC Championship title.
Stat of the Game – Tampa are Sunshine State Conference Tournament Champions.
TAMPA POST-GAME NOTES
- The Spartans have won 15 straight.
- Luca Mercaldo started in goal for Tampa, recording a career best 14 saves.
- Birch netted his 11th hat trick of the season.
- Milani netted his 10th hat trick of the season.
- The Spartans boast an 8-0 record in the SSC Finals.
UP NEXT – TBA, NCAA first round begins on Wednesday May 8th at campus sites.
*****
Tars Drop SSC Title Game at Tampa, 16-9
Sam Mattson led the Tars with three goals and an assist
TAMPA, Florida (April 27, 2024) – The ninth-ranked and second-seeded Rollins men’s lacrosse team came up short at third-ranked and top-seeded Tampa on Saturday, falling to the Spartans in the SSC Championship final, 16-9. The Tars are now 12-4 overall, while UT goes to 17-1.
Sam Mattson led the Tars with three goals and an assist, while Logan Myers chipped in with two goals and two assists. Shahé Katchadurian (11-4) made 14 saves on 30 shots for the Tars.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Quarter
- After Tampa scored the first goal of the game, William Metz tied things up less than a minute later.
- UT got the next three goals before Logan Myers found the back of the net to make it 4-2 with 2:34 left.
- The Spartans added one more goal to give the home team a 5-2 lead after one quarter.
Second Quarter
- Tampa opened the second quarter with four straight goals to increase its lead to 9-2.
- Charlie Metz scored at the 9:12 mark to stem the tide, and Myers followed up with a goal to make it a 9-4 game.
- Grant Hansen tallied his first of the game with just four seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to 9-5 at the half.
Third Quarter
- The Spartans got the first two goals of the second half before Mattson netted his first of the day to make it 11-6.
- A few minutes later, Mattson scored his second goal to trim the margin to 11-7.
- Following a Tampa goal, Mattson completed his hat trick with 21 seconds left in the third, keeping the Tars within four at 12-8 going to the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
- Tampa scored less than a minute into the fourth, but Hansen answered with his second goal of the game a few minutes later to make it 13-9.
- Rollins couldn’t tally any more goals as the Spartans added three late ones to win it, 16-9.
UP NEXT:
The Tars will await the announcement of the NCAA II Men’s Lacrosse Tournament bracket, which will be announced on NCAA.com on Sunday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m.
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, X, and Instagram.
