LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 2 Florida Southern College women's lacrosse team upended No. 6 Pace University 14-12 on Sunday afternoon at Berend Field.
The Moccasins (7-0) used a dominant second quarter, beating the Setters (2-1) in the period 6-1 to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Rylie Rittberg earned her fifth win of the season, as she was particularly dominant in the first half, making eight saves across the first two quarters. This win marks her second of the season over a top-10 nationally ranked opponent after registering a victory over No. 2 Adelphi earlier in the year.
Florida Southern was led by graduate student
Jackie Stoller, as she scored five goals, setting a new career-high in the process. Senior
Madison Tare had a big day as well, notching five points with a hat trick offensively.
Draw controls were a huge factor in the contest, as the Moccasins won the battle 18-12 over the course of the game. Graduate student
Gina Verrone was effective, leading the team with five ground balls and five draw controls in the game. Junior
Abby McFerren had five draw controls in the win as well, tacking on a goal and an assist.
Pace University took an early lead, scoring in the game's opening minute before Stoller responded to even the game at one. Again, the Setters took the lead on the ensuing draw control, but goals from McFerren and Tare turned the momentum in favor of the Moccasins.
With the score knotted at three heading into the second quarter, the Moccasins opened the frame with three consecutive goals. Stoller scored her second of five to open the period before
Ellie Griffin and
Hailey Daleo got on the score sheet to give the team a 6-3 lead.
The Setters responded with a strike to close the deficit briefly, but the Moccasins went on another three-goal scoring run, as Tare, Daleo, and
Giana Murphy hit the back of the net. The Mocs took a five-goal lead into the half, ahead 9-4.
Pace turned the tides momentarily to start the frame, as they scored to open the half. The teams traded goals, though, as Tare and Stoller kept the Mocs ahead by five.
At the turn of the quarter and into the fourth, the Setters dug into the Moccasins' lead, as they scored four of five goals to make it 12-10 with just over eight minutes to play.
In the final six minutes though, Stoller scored to reclaim the healthy lead before
Lizzy Lynch put the game on ice to give the Moccasins a 14-10 lead with a minute remaining. Lynch finished the day with four points as she garnered three assists in the contest.
The Setters scored a pair of goals in the final minute to trim the deficit, but time ran out on Pace, dropping its first game of the year to the undefeated Moccasins, 14-12.
Florida Southern is now on a 7-0 run to start the season, with four of those victories coming against ranked opponents. The team will have their next four games at home, the next one coming against currently No. 13 Mercy University on Thursday afternoon at 7 p.m.
