Tars Put Up Fight against No. 12 UMO in 11-8 Loss
Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in Uncategorized.
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. (February 14, 2016) – After three quarters of strong play the Rollins College men’s lacrosse team found themselves trailing by just one goal entering into the final period, but a strong fourth quarter lifted the twelfth-ranked Mount Olive Trojans over the Tars with a final score of 11-8 on Sunday afternoon at Amon Field. The loss drops the Tars to 2-1 overall, while the Trojans advance to 2-0 on their young season.
Sophomore goalie Jake Hogan walked away with some clutch saves on the day, earning 11 as he faced a total of 32 shots and 22 shots on goal. Austin Jackson earned three ground balls on the day, while Nicholas Schultz and Hogan each brought in two. Leading the Tars in ground balls was faceoff specialist Alex Petsos, who picked up seven as he won 12-of-21 attempts at the X.
Leading the Tars on the attacking front were Morgan Baker and Justin Diamond, who each tallied two goals and an assist. Jack Vonarb, Joshua Jenks, Petsos, and Clay Phillips earned one goal apiece to close out the Tars scoring efforts on the day.
The Trojans, who checked in at No. 12 on the USILA DII Preseason Poll and No. 11 on the NIKE/Lacrosse Magazine DII Preseason Poll, were led in scoring by Matt Shields and Nico Shewey, who each earned a hat trick and an assist on the day. A total of nine different players contributed to Mount Olive’s scoring efforts, as the Trojans tallied 11 goals and six assists in their second game of the season. In goal for UMO, Ross Bowman earned 12 saves as he faced 27 shots and 20 shots on goal from the Tars.
The Tars got the game rolling with two goals within the first two and a half minutes of play. Mount Olive answered back at the 10:41 mark to cut the lead in half, but the first period closed out with Rollins holding onto a 2-1 lead.
Mount Olive had the edge in the second stanza, outscoring the Tars by a tally of 3-2, setting the score at 4-4 entering into the half and setting up a third quarter with plenty of action.
The Trojans opened up the third frame with a goal just 53 seconds into the period, and followed up with another at the 13:00 mark to pull ahead 6-4. Diamond brought the Tars back to within one with an unassisted goal with 9:59 on the clock, but a goal by UMO a minute later gave them a two-goal cushion once more.
The Tars were not about to back down, and Baker found Vonarb for a key goal with 4:49 to go in the quarter. Petsos won the ensuing faceoff and made quick work of the equalizer, streaking down the field to score just six seconds later to even the scoreboard at 7-7.
Mount Olive took advantage of a man-up opportunity late in the period that saw Shields score his second goal of the day with just 25 seconds to go before the end of the period. Despite the late drive by the Trojans to close out the third quarter, Rollins entered into the final period with a goal by Baker a shade under a minute into play to tie the game at 8-8.
Despite the Tars’ best defensive efforts, the nationally-ranked Trojans were able to capitalize on more of their attacking efforts down the stretch, including two man-up goals, to close out the game with a final score of 11-8.
Rollins led the faceoff count thanks to Petsos, winning 12-of 22 attempts, and were successful on 13-of-16 clear attempts. Mount Olive led the game in shots 32-27 and ground balls 25-19, and held a Rollins man-up unit silent on all five extra man opportunities.
The Tars return to action on Sunday, February 28, then they travel to St. Charles, Missouri to take on the ninth-ranked Lindenwood University Lions. Game time is set for 1 p.m. Eastern time. Links to live coverage will be available on RollinsSports.com.
