Third-Ranked Rollins and 10th-Ranked Mocs Meet in Top 10 Slugfest

WINTER PARK - Tenth-ranked Florida Southern took on the third-ranked Rollins Tars, here this afternoon, in a battle between two top 10 programs in the country. The Tars used a late second half surge to propel themselves over the Moccasins 18-12.

For the first 23 minutes of the first half the Mocs and Tars traded goal after goal. Danielle LaDuca opened the first half scoring at the 25:33 mark. The Mocs only lead of period number one was quickly wiped away 22 seconds later with the Tars scoring back-to-back goals to take a 2-1 lead. FSC and Rollins traded two more goals each before it looked as if the Tars would start to pull away scoring two goals to take a tied game into a 6-4 advantage for Rollins.

The Mocs though weren’t ready to layover as LaDuca and Megan Asper tallied two goals within a little over a minute of each other to retie the game at 6-6. Rollins found the net three times in a span of 1:48 to stretch a tied game into a 9-6 lead. Looking as if the Mocs would head into halftime down three goals to the third-ranked team in the country; FSC’s offense received two free-position attempts under the 10 second mark. Senior Mara Mason capitalized on the second of the two attempts with one second remaining in the half closing the Tars lead to 9-7 before going into the second period.

The second half started with the Tars’ Mo Imel taking away the Mocs goal at the end of the first half with a goal of her own to put Rollins up 10-7. The Mocs though didn’t relent going on a 3-1 run in the next five minutes to close within 1, 11-10. 

A yellow card on Lorianne Hoover at the 17:53 mark took the momentum away from the Mocs. The card was issued after what appeared to be incidental contact between Hoover and a Tars’ player. After the yellow, Rollins scored five of the next six goals to take a 16-11 lead with 5:45 remaining in the game.

The Mocs answered the Tars though, getting a shot in between the pipes with 3:55 remaining in the game to close the lead to four goals, 16-12.  The Tars answered on their next possession however to stretch their lead back to five, 17-12. Rollins scored an empty net goal with less than a minute remaining to get to the final score.

Leading the Mocs offensively were Asper and LaDuca as Asper scored four goals on the afternoon and LaDuca added three. 

Katie Hammerer, who has been big in goal all season for FSC, stopped 13 shots on the afternoon. It was only her second loss on the season as she now falls to 8-2 on the year.

Erica Pagliarulo and Sophie Townsend found the net five times each for the Tars. Rollins’ goalie, Elyse De Lisle improved to 15-1 on the season after having a five save performance in goal.

The Mocs will now travel to the Carolinas to take on Lenoir-Rhyne on May 1 in Hickory, N.C. and will then take on second-ranked Limestone in Gaffney, S.C. on May 3.