Rollins Defense Deters Greyhounds in 9-7 Win
Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in Uncategorized.
From Rollinssports.com Above – Jack Vonarb By Jim Houge Photo
Diamond, Matthews, and Buell Score Twice Each as Tars Take Down UIndy
WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 16, 2016) – Eight Tars contributed to the scoring effort on the evening, but it was a stalwart Rollins defense that ultimately helped the Tars earn a 9-7 win over the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds on Wednesday evening at Barker Family Stadium and Cahall-Sandspur Field.
The win advances the Tars’ record to 5-3 on the season, while UIndy drops their second straight and dips to a mark of 3-2.
Three Tars netted two goals apiece on the night, including long stick middie Andrew Matthews who found the back of the net when the Tars needed it most, once to open the game, and another to give the Tars a one-goal lead to close out the first half of action.
Joining Matthews on the board were Justin Diamond and Carson Buell with two goals apiece, while Jack Vonarb, Greg Taicher, and AJ Gogan each scored once. Buell led the team in points as he added an assist to his two goal total, while Clay Phillips and Dalton LeMaster each added an assist on the evening.
Jake Hogan came up big between the pipes, earning 11 key saves as he faced a total of 29 shots and 18 shots on goal from the Greyhounds. Defensively, Austin Jackson led the game in caused turnovers with three, while Connor McClellan and Lucas Brush each caused two. Leading the team in ground balls were Matthews and Brush with three apiece.
Parker Kump and James Smith led UIndy in scoring as each netted a hat trick on the night. Matthw Johnson contributed a team best two assists. In goal for the Greyhounds, Jarod Kimble made 16 saves while facing 34 shots and 25 shots on goal from the Tars. Robert Berardi helped the Greyhounds gain possession on the faceoff as he won 14-of-20 attempts.
Matthews got the ball rolling with an unassisted goal in the first quarter with 13:03 on the clock, and Rollins continued to ride the momentum as they opened up to a 3-0 lead with 5:32 to go in the first quarter. A late goal by Kump with 10 seconds to spare put UIndy on the board, ending the first quarter with Rollins holding a 3-1 lead.
The Greyhounds opened up the second quarter with two straight goals by Smith to tie the game at 3-3 with 6:27 to play before half, but Matthews found the back of the net on a fast break with 4:50 on the clock to give the Tars a 4-3 advantage at the half.
The third quarter saw UIndy make a comeback to knot the score at 4-4, but the Tars broke the streak with a pair of goals to set the score at 6-4 with 10:19 left to go in the quarter. The Greyhounds were not about to back down so easily, and a goal by Allen at the 8:57 mark pulled UIndy to within one goal once more as the third quarter came to a close with Rollins holding a 6-5 lead.
Kump got the Greyhounds fired up to begin the fourth quarter with two straight goals within a minute of each other to give UIndy its first lead of the game as they pulled ahead 7-6 with 12:43 on the clock. But a staunch Rollins defensive unit helped deter the Greyhounds and allowed the Tars to even the score with a goal by Taicher at the 8:00 mark to set the score at 7-7. The Tars tacked on two more goals as Buell and Diamond each found the back of the net, giving Rollins the victory as the Tars walked away with a final score of 9-7.
Rollins led the shot count 34-29, as well as the ground ball battle, 24-19. The Greyhounds had the advantage on the faceoff, winning 14-of-20, but led the game in turnovers, 18-9, as the Tars led the game in caused turnovers, 10-0.
The Tars return to action on Saturday, March 19, when they host Colorado Mesa. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Barker Family Stadium and Cahall Sandspur Field. Fans who are unable to make it to the game will be able to catch all of the action live on the Geico Tars Sports Network on RollinsSports.com.