LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 5 Florida Southern College women's lacrosse team defeated No. 13 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University by a final score of 26-14 on Saturday afternoon at Berend Field.
The Moccasins (13-2, 4-1 SSC) used their largest scoring output of the season to down the visiting Eagles (12-3, 3-2 SSC) and earn a key in-conference win that brings them one step closer to clinching a home game in the end-of-year tournament.
With the 26 goals, Florida Southern tied the program record set on April 1, 2012, when they beat Catawba College 26-6. The Mocs effectively set a new record for goals scored in a conference game after beating Saint Leo 25-17 last season.
Senior
Madison Tare led the Moccasins with six points as she scored three times, notching her 100
th career goal in the process.
Jackie Stoller recorded six points as well, helping the Mocs get out to an early lead with four first-half goals.
Abby McFerren,
Giana Murphy, and
Hannah Hale each scored three times as well while
Hailey Daleo notched five goals on the day.
Senior goalkeeper
Sydney O'Neill started the game in the cage, coming away with her third victory of the season with a pair of saves on the afternoon.
The teams were engaged in an extremely high-scoring, back-and-forth affair for much of the first half, but the Moccasins were able to pull away towards the end of the second quarter and never looked back.
The Eagles got the first goal of the game in the opening minute before the Mocs responded with three consecutive goals over the course of the next five minutes to take a 3-1 lead.
Olivia Manghisi tied the game for Florida Southern before Tare and Daleo scored their first goals of the day to put the Mocs ahead.
The teams would go on to trade goals for the next few minutes with Daleo and Stoller scoring to keep the Mocs up by two, leading 5-3.
The Moccasins would go on to score three of the final four goals in the frame, with Stoller completing the hat trick and McFerren tallying twice to put Florida Southern ahead 8-4 headed into the second quarter.
The Eagles opened the second quarter with a goal, but a pair of quick strikes from Murphy kept Florida Southern ahead. Tare hit the back of the net again to give the Moccasins an 11-5 lead in the first five minutes of the frame.
The Eagles showed signs of life, responding with a streak of goals, but the high-octane Mocs were able to stymie the run with six of the final seven goals in the half. McFerren and Lynch had goals while Stoller and Daleo each tacked on a pair of strikes to put Florida Southern ahead 17-9 in the waning minutes of the quarter.
Senior
Elise Alders scored her first goal of the season in the final seconds of the first half, giving the Moccasins a commanding 18-9 lead going into the break.
The Mocs were able to open up a double-digit lead early in the third quarter, with Murphy tallying before Daleo scored twice. Hale and Stoller tacked on a couple of more goals to keep Florida Southern ahead by a decisive margin, leading 23-11.
In the final seconds of the third quarter, senior
Samantha O'Neill tallied her first goal of the season to give the Mocs a 13-goal lead headed into the final frame.
The Moccasins were able to coast to victory over the course of the final 15 minutes, winning the game by a final score of 26-14, with Hale scoring twice to secure the program record for most goals scored in a conference game. Hale finished the day with five points on three goals, both career-high numbers.
Graduate student
Gina Verrone had another fantastic game defensively, securing a team-leading six ground balls with four caused turnovers and a pair of draw controls.
The Moccasins now turn their attention to their final two regular season games of the season, as they'll travel next to Melbourne, Fla. for a meeting with the Florida Tech Panthers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
