Box Score ![]()
WINTER PARK - Both Florida Southern and Rollins entered their Halloween night encounter with a chance to win their first ever Sunshine State Conference championship, and both teams still had a chance when the night was finished. That's not the result for which Florida Southern was playing, while Rollins in effect be playing for both teams on Sunday.
With Chelsea Brady scoring two goals and assisting one other, the 8th-ranked Tars pulled away from the 23rd-ranked Moccasins on Friday by a score of 5-1. That outcome leaves Florida Southern with a 7-1 conference record, while the Tars improved to 6-0-1 with a make-up game scheduled for Sunday night against Saint Leo. A win by Rollins in that game would give the Tars their first SSC title, and drop the Moccasins into second.
However, Florida Southern could still win the title if Saint Leo beats or ties Rollins on Sunday. That would give the Moccasins the #1 seed in next week's SSC Tournament, as well as the host site for the semifinals and championship game. The Mocs have already earned a first-round bye and will go straight to next Friday's semifinals, either in Lakeland or Winter Park.
On this Friday night, it was the Tars who had the upper hand as they stretched their unbeaten streak to 16 games and ended the Moccasins' school-record winning streak at 11. Rollins (13-0-3 overall) led 2-0 at halftime, then blew the game open by out-shooting Florida Southern 18-7 in the second half.
Lindsay Giblin had given the Tars a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 24th minute, and Brady picked up a goal in the 41st, knocking in a one-touch shot at the back post after a cross from Georgia Libert in the right corner. Despite the 2-0 deficit, however, the Mocs were playing fairly even with the Tars and out-shooting them 6-5 at that point.
That was evident again when the Moccasins (13-4) scored just one minute and 20 seconds into the second half. A foul by Rollins had given them a free kick deep in the right corner, and Jackie Bachteler served it perfectly to the far side of the box for a header by Erin Hopkins.
That gave the Mocs new life, but the Tars came back in the 57th minute when Jessica Deese curved a long shot from the right side of the field into the left side of the net. That play was assisted by Brady and seemed to ignite Rollins, which fired off four more shots in the next six minutes, though none of them found the mark.
Leah Hirsch eventually did in the 71st minute. She too hit a shot from outside the box after winning the ball back on the right side of the field when it looked as if the Mocs might withstand another attack. That one may have been the back-breaker, though Brady later scored her second goal of the night with 5:32 remaining.
There was almost constant pressure on Moccasin goalkeeper Martin Tangen Billing throughout the second half, with the freshman forced into seven saves during that time. She was left alone to face Brady on her second goal and made a difficult save on the play, but at such close range was unable to hold onto the ball, allowing Brady to knock in the rebound.
Tangen Billing made nine saves in the game, her highest total of the season, while Rollins goalkeeper Michelle Dillingham had five saves. She was also helped by defender Meagan Thomas, who stopped a shot by Linda Hoglund inside the box when it was still a 3-1 game.ÂÂ
Florida Southern will now await the results of the Saint Leo-Rollins game to decide its place in the conference tournament. More information on the SSC Tournament will be made available on Sunday night, including pairings, starting times and ticket prices.
FSC 0  1   -  1
RC   2  3   -  5
SCORING: RC--Giblin (penalty kick), 23:11; RC--Brady (Libert), 40:36; FSC--Hopkins (Bachteler), 46:20; RC--Deese (Brady), 56:36; RC--Hirsch (unassisted), 70:55; RC--Brady (unassisted), 84:28. SHOTS: FSC 13, RC 23. CORNER KICKS: FSC 3, RC 4. SAVES: FSC 9 (Tangen Billing 9), RC 5 (Dillingham). FOULS: FSC 4, RC 8. CAUTIONS: None.
