Box Score BOCA RATON – Ten goals went up on the board in the regular season finale for Florida Southern, and with half of them going to each team, the Moccasins ended it with a 5-5 tie at Lynn on Saturday night. With rain falling throughout the night, the game was stopped after the first overtime period due to unplayable field conditions brought on by rain from Tropical Storm Philippe.
The final score, improbable as it sounded, allowed the Moccasins (8-2-4, 5-2-3) to clinch the third seed in the upcoming Sunshine State Conference Tournament where they will host Florida Tech on Tuesday night at the Lake Myrtle Sports Park. It will be the Mocs' first appearance to the league's postseason tournament since 2013.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Florida Southern had leads of 2-0, 3-1, and 5-3, but each time Lynn (6-9-1, 3-6-1) came back to force a tie. The score was innocent enough at 1-0 before the teams combined for four goals in the final eight minutes of the first half. That sent them to the locker room with the Mocs holding a 3-2 lead.
- Florida Southern's three first-half goals came from Anna Griessler just 61 seconds into the game, Candace Metcalfe in the 38th minute, and Dominique Cirnigliaro in the 44th. The first two were unassisted, and Cirnigliaro got help from Madison Hald. Lynn got first-half goals from Donish Henry-Cole in the 43rd minute, and Gabriela Moreira one second before halftime.
- The scoring frenzy continued early in the second half as Brittney Benedict tied the score with the 47th minute.
- Florida Southern scored the next two goals, with Griessler setting up Caitlin Quaempts in the 52nd minute after a free kick, and Griessler then scoring her second goal of the night off a failed clearance in the 64th minute.
- The 5-3 lead was not safe, however, as Lynn got two more goals from Henry-Cole who completed a hat trick in the 73rd and 81st minutes to tie the game once more.
- In overtime, the Knights had two shots to the Moccasins' one, but neither team could score again in the only 10-minute extra period that was played.
- Lynn had an 18-14 edge in shots taken. Helena Norrstrom had four saves for Florida Southern in a little over 75 minutes, and Paige Koetter had one in just under 25. Koetter's save came less than a minute into overtime. Natalie Turok had two saves for Lynn.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The 10 total goals were the most in a Florida Southern game since the Moccasins lost to Lynn 8-2 in 2001. Prior to Saturday night there had never been a game involving Florida Southern in which both teams scored five goals. The closest was a 5-4 win by Florida Southern over Rollins in 1999.
- There had not been more than six combined goals in a game involving the Moccasins in the last 10-plus seasons.
- The five goals were the most for Florida Southern since a 6-0 win over West Georgia in 2013.
- The last time any Sunshine State Conference game had 10 goals was a 9-1 win by Saint Leo over Eckerd in 2013. The 5-5 tie was not the strangest score line in SSC history, however. Seventeen years ago, Rollins pulled out a 9-7 win over Tampa on October 17, 2000.
- Florida Southern and Lynn have now played to a tie seven times, while Florida Southern has won 10 times and Lynn has won eight. The Mocs have no more than three ties against any other team. Four of their ties came in a two-year span in 2013 and '14, with two of those games ending 3-3. Saturday night was the fourth time since 2008 they played a game in which the combined for six or more goals.
- Saturday marked the second time in her career Griessler was involved in three goals in one game. She scored three of them in a 4-2 win at Eckerd as a freshman. Griessler now has six goals and four assists on the season, taking sole possession of the team lead in both categories.
UP NEXT
Florida Southern will host Florida Tech in the SSC Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
