LAKELAND, Fla. - The No. 6 Florida Southern College women's lacrosse team defeated Colorado Mesa University 20-8 on Sunday afternoon behind a dominant offensive attack at Berend Field.
The Moccasins (6-1) rattled off ten goals in the opening quarter to extend their winning streak to five while the visiting Mavericks (3-1) dropped their first game of the young season.
Patricia Werker had the start in the cage for Florida Southern, stopping six of ten first-half shots to earn her third win of the year.
Brittany Iamele came on in the second half as the Mocs' goalkeeping duo continued to perform well, making eleven combined saves.
Hailey Daleo was the catalyst offensively, as she finished with nine total points on five goals and four assists. She scored the first two goals of the game and wound up with five points by the end of the first quarter to give the team an early cushion against the Mavericks.
After the Mavs responded with two quick goals to tie the game in the opening frame, the Mocs went on an 8-1 scoring run to close out the quarter.
Lizzy Lynch started the onslaught before Daleo notched her third goal of the game.
Madison Tare then scored three times in as many minutes to earn an early hat trick of her own.
Ellie Griffin,
Marlee Moon Gaddy, and
Abby McFerren scored successively in the final minute of the quarter to give Florida Southern a seven-goal lead heading into the first break.
Brenna Smith scored twice to open the quarter, continuing the efficient day for the Mocs' offense. The team wound up scoring 20 goals on just 30 total shot attempts. Daleo, Lynch, and McFerren each scored again the second quarter as the Moccasins took a commanding 15-4 lead into the half. Werker made three saves in each quarter to keep the visitors out of striking distance.
The teams exchanged goals in the third quarter, with Griffin tallying before Daleo scored her 20
th goal of the season as Florida Southern took a 17-7 lead into the final break.
Gaddy scored to open the fourth quarter on a free-position shot, finding the back of the net again in the closing minutes of the game to finish the day with a trio of scores.
Emma Dudley added a goal for the Moccasins, earning a free-position shot and burying it to score for the second time this year.
Daleo led the way with nine points and four assists, while Tare had six points. Lynch had a good day offensively while she also added five caused turnovers.
The Moccasins end their opening homestand ranked sixth in the country after going 6-1. They'll go to Tiffin, Ohio this weekend for a pair of contests, beginning on Friday for a neutral-site battle against Roberts Wesleyan College, at noon.
