Box Score LAKELAND, Fla. – Nine different players scored goals for the No. 20 Florida Southern men's lacrosse team as the Mocs defeated the visiting Montevallo Falcons, 16-9, on Saturday afternoon at Moccasin Field. Senior attackman Joe Appio and freshman attackman Thomas Frank each had four goals to pace the Mocs (2-2), while Jackson Neufel of Montevallo (3-2) led all scorers with five goals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- 1st Quarter | The Mocs jumped out quickly, with Appio scoring just 51 seconds into the game, on a pass from sophomore Jeff Atlas.
- Later in the period, Justin Dunleavy scored an unassisted goal with 5:42 remaining, giving the Mocs a 2-0 lead.
- Montevallo would record a man-up goal, and the Mocs would lead 2-1 after the first period.
- 2nd Quarter | FSC would out-score the Falcons 5-2 to take command of the game. Junior attack Preston Hopkins started the scoring in the second stanza with an unassisted goal just 1:12 in. After a Montevallo goal, Southern got back-to-back tallies from Appio and Atlas, both on assists from sophomore Sean Nolan.
- Nolan would then score the two final goals of the period, as the Mocs led 7-3 at intermission.
- 3rd Quarter | The teams traded goals, beginning with an unassisted goal from senior attack Kevin Dyer. Thomas Frank would score the final two goals of the period for Florida Southern, as the Mocs led 11-6 after three.
- 4th Quarter | Frank led off the fourth with a goal, on an assist from Ben Price, to push the lead to 12-6. The Falcons would scrape together a few goals, cutting the score to 13-9, with 6:14 to play. From there, the Mocs scored three consecutive goals on the extra man, including a pair from junior Edward May. Appio would score the game's final goal, with 2:41 remaining, for the 16-9 final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Sophomore goalie Maxwell Freestone played well for the Mocs, making seven saves on 16 shots. By contrast, the Mocs shelled the Montevallo keeper with 32 shots on goal.
- The Mocs took 55 total shots, with 32 reaching the cage. Montevllo took 32 total shots, with only 16 on frame.
- Penalties were a problem for both teams, as FSC had five for 3:30. Montevallo took seven penalties, for 5:30.
- On the extra man, FSC scored four goals on seven opportunities, while Montevallo scored three goals on five opportunities.
- At the face off X, FSC dominated, winning 27 of the 29 faceoffs. Junior Kevin Horwitz was dominant, winning 26 of 28.
- Southern also had a dominant edge in groundballs, 48-23, including 17 for Horwitz.
- Atlas finished with one goal and four assists for five points, while Nolan had two goals and as many assists. Dunleavy and May each had two goals and one assist.
UP NEXT
The Mocs will host the College of St. Rose on March Wednesday, March 4, at 6:00 p.m.
