MELBOURNE - With the completion of the 2016 regular season in the book, the pairings have officially been announced for this weekend's Sunshine State Conference Men's Lacrosse Tournament, which will be hosted by regular season champion Tampa at the University of Tampa's Naimoli Family Athletic Complex.
The tournament will begin with two semifinal round games on Friday, April 29 and will conclude with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, May 1. The semifinal games are scheduled for 4 and 8 p.m., while the championship game will begin at 2 p.m.
Florida Southern, who is sporting a 9-8 overall on the season, earned the No. 4 seed in this year's tournament after posting a 2-3 mark in SSC play following a 9-8 double overtime loss in its regular season finale this past Saturday at home to Saint Leo. With its loss to Saint Leo and Lynn's win on Saturday at Florida Tech, the Mocs fell to the fourth seed in the tournament due to SLU's win over the Mocs. It marks the second time in three years that the Mocs have qualified for the SSC Tournament as they also played in the inaugural SSC Tournament in 2014.
The Mocs will face three-time SSC Champion Tampa in Friday's second semifinal game at 8 p.m. During the regular season, the Spartans posted a 22-7 win over the Mocs at the Naimoli Family Athletic Complex. The Spartans, who are ranked sixth in the most recent USILA/Nike Division II Coaches' Poll, went 5-0 in SSC play for third consecutive season in 2016 and are sporting a 12-2 overall record.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seeded Rollins will face No. 3 seeded Saint Leo in Friday's first semifinal game at 5 p.m. Rollins concluded the regular season with a 9-5 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the SSC, while Saint Leo went 9-4 overall and 2-3 in the SSC. During the regular season, Rollins picked up a 12-10 win at Saint Leo.
At last year's second-ever SSC Tournament in Lakeland, Tampa took home the championship with an 11-8 win in the championship game over Florida Tech. The Spartans would then advance on to the NCAA Tournament where they suffered a 15-7 first round loss to fifth-ranked Lake Erie.
In 2014, Tampa defeated the Mocs, 11-6, in the inaugural SSC Tournament Championship game held at Tampa. The Mocs advanced to the championship game with an 18-7 semifinal round victory at home over Saint Leo. The Mocs are 1-1 all-time in the SSC Tournament.
Listed below is the complete schedule of this year's SSC Men's Lacrosse Tournament.
Friday, April 29 - Semifinals
4 p.m. - #2 seed Rollins (9-5, 3-2 SSC) vs. #3 seed Saint Leo (9-4, 2-3 SSC)
8 p.m. - #1 seed Tampa (12-2, 5-0 SSC) vs. #4 seed Florida Southern (9-8, 2-3 SSC)
Sunday, May 1 - Championship
2 p.m. - Semifinal winners
