LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 2 Florida Southern College women's lacrosse team took their first loss of the season against No. 21 Bentley University by a final score of 17-16, in overtime, on Saturday afternoon.
The Moccasins move to 8-1 on the season while the visiting Falcons improve to 5-1 after winning their fifth straight game.
Before the game, Florida Southern honored seven players as part of senior day festivities, with
Olivia Manghisi,
Madison Tare,
Samantha O'Neill,
Elise Alders,
Emma Caulk,
Sammy Gorrasi, and
Sydney O'Neill each earning the start after the ceremony.
Sydney O'Neill started the game in net and played well in the opening quarter, making four stops over the course of the first fifteen minutes before sophomore
Rylie Rittberg took over in the second quarter.
The Moccasins dominated in draw controls on the afternoon, winning 22 of 36 behind another fantastic showing from
Gina Verrone, who picked up eight draw controls, plus three ground balls and three caused turnovers on the day.
Florida Southern fell behind early, with Bentley scoring the first pair of goals in the span of under a minute to take an early lead.
Tare,
Lizzy Lynch, and
Giana Murphy scored in succession as the Mocs claimed the lead before the Falcons went on a run, taking a 9-4 lead in the second quarter.
Sammy Gorrasi scored to stop the bleeding and
Jackie Stoller followed suit as the Mocs trimmed the deficit.
The squads traded goals to end the quarter, with
Hailey Daleo hitting the back of the net for Florida Southern. Bentley took an 11-7 lead into the halftime break.
The Moccasins outscored the Falcons 5-2 in the third quarter to bring the team back within one heading into the fourth quarter. Murphy scored three goals in the period while Stoller and Tare each added one as well.
Florida Southern finally reclaimed the lead again in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, with Daleo scoring twice to give the team a short-lived lead, the score 14-13.
The Falcons responded with a pair of quick strikes to once again take the lead before Tare tied it at 15 with just under seven minutes to go. Bentley scored with under four minutes to go to take a late lead that built the suspense late.
Emma Caulk made a fantastic defensive play with just over two minutes to go in the game, earning her second caused turnover of the game. On the ensuing possession, Lynch wound up scoring to tie the game with just under two minutes to play.
The teams remained even throughout the rest of regulation, and the teams went to overtime to settle the contest. After winning the opening draw, the Falcons earned a free position attempt and converted on the shot, winning the game just under a minute into the extra period.
The Moccasins suffer their first loss of the season while the Falcons have now won two consecutive games in overtime. Florida Southern will turn their attention to next Saturday afternoon, as they'll take on Colorado Mesa in their final tune-up before beginning conference play. The first draw control is scheduled for noon at Berend Field.
