Box Score
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - On their first road trip of the season, No. 5 Florida Southern fended off upset-minded #13 Queens (N.C.) with four second half goals to win, 12-11, at the Queens Sports Complex in Charlotte.
The Moccasin win column increased to 10 with the victory, and put them one step closer to their first NCAA Tournament bid in program history. For the Royals, their overall record falls to 8-4 with the defeat.
Junior Caitlin Chase (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) helped put the Mocs on the board early by assisting on a score by redshirt freshman Allie Kryjak (Potomac, Md.) just 1:26 into the contest, but the Royals responded with a goal of their own to tie the game at one-all early half.
The Moccasins rattled off three unanswered goals, two from junior Lorianne Hoover (Annapolis, Md.) and one from junior Megan Asper (Parkton, Md.), to go up 4-1. No. 13 Queens (N.C.), however, scored back-to-back goals at 16:58 and 16:47 to pull to within one of FSC. Asper's second score of the half put the Mocs back up two, but the 13th-ranked Royals tied the game with another pair of goals to put the game at 5-5 with 13:36 to go before halftime.
Chase set up sophomore Ashley Robertson (Ellicott City, Md.) for her first score of the game with 12:08 to go, but three straight Royal goals at 11:13, 9:49 and 9:35 put host Queens (N.C.) up 8-6 late in the first half. Back-to-back Hoover goals off free position shots at 2:49 and :47 knotted the score at eight with both teams going into halftime, setting up the second half to be a doozy of a finish.
Hoover scored her third straight goal and fifth of the game off a rocket-pass from Asper at 22:51 of the second half to put the Mocs up 9-8 early, but Queens (N.C.) responded at 16:13 by burying a shot in the back of the net to tie the score back at 9-9. Hoover ripped what would be the game-winning goal past the Royal goalkeeper at 10:57 to put Florida Southern, while her fellow captains Chase and Asper put shots of their own in the back of the net at 9:32 and 7:29 to give Florida Southern a 12-9 lead. Queens (N.C.) rallied late, scoring two goals off free position attempts, but they weren't enough as the Mocs escaped their tangle with the Royals with an all-important South Region win.
The Annapolis-native scored a career-high six goals in tonight's road win, blowing past her previous career-mark of four last set against Indiana (Pa.) on March 18 of this season. Hoover was also a perfect 3-3 on free position shots, helping the Mocs go 3-5 in that category. Asper was the next highest scoring Florida Southern player, putting three in the back net along with two assists for five points. Chase dished three assists tonight against the Royals to go along with her late second-half goal for four points.
Hoover was a force all over the field at the Queens Sports Complex, causing four Royals turnovers, winning four draw controls and picking up three ground balls in her team's victory. Asper also led the Mocs with five draw controls and four loose ball pick-ups. Sophomore Grace Donovan (Boise, Idaho) caused two turnovers on defense and scooped up three ground balls, while senior Katie Hammerer (California, Md.) made seven saves in the victory to go along with her two ground balls.
Jena Ready, Abigail Paulus and Kelly Dowd each registered a hat trick in the loss, while Arika Zimmerman and Britta Larranaga tallied the only two Royal assists in the contest. Brittany Barnwell caused a game-high five turnovers, while Dani Horoschak made five stops in a losing effort.
Florida Southern returns to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when they take on Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C. The Mocs return to Bryant Stadium for a meeting of Top 15 teams when they host No. 12 Lindenwood at 7 p.m.
