#4 Mocs Handle #8 Lions 17-12 on Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night

LAKELAND, Fla. – The fourth-ranked Florida Southern Moccasins handled the eighth-ranked Saint Leo Lions 17-12 at Berend Field at the Barnett Athletic Complex Tuesday night to remain perfect at 15-0 all-time. At halftime, Florida Southern honored and recognized faculty and staff across campus that have impacted each student-athlete.
 
No. 4 Florida Southern moved to 2-0 on the young season after the five-goal victory at home as a pair of Moccasins scored four goals in the win for four points. Danielle Mojsej and Giana Murphy each tallied four goals as Mojsej had four on six shots and Murphy four on five shots.
 
The duo led a contingent of seven scorers in the win. Abby McFerren, who secured a hattrick, finished with a game-high five points after dishing out two assists. Jenna Vetter and Hannah Hale each found the back of the net twice while Kassidy Miller and Hannah Guerin each scored once.
 
Rylie Rittberg moves to 2-0 between the pipes as she had 10 saves in the decision with a team-high five groundballs. Florida Southern won the draw battle 18-to-12 as Maria Reeves had a team-high five ahead of Miller and Kolby Cohen each with four. Audrey Cannelli won three and Vetter closed the book with one.
 
No. 8 Saint Leo had an uphill battle heading to Berend Field and stayed tight with the Moccasins thanks to a five-goal performance from Holly Hill. Behind Hill was Ava Valenti with two and Natalie Jones, Jana Nuss, Abby Richards, Clara Gallapoo, and Joselyn Storm all scored one for the Green.
 
Jessica Harclerode played the full-time between the pipes and suffered the loss but not after making eight saves and scooping up five groundballs. Harclerode drops to 3-1 in goal for the Lions on the year.
 
Florida Southern came out of the gates fast and had five unanswered goals in the first quarter through the first 14 minutes. Giana Murphy got things started with an Abby McFerren sandwich as the duo had the Mocs ahead 3-0 with 7:01 to play. Danielle Mojsej and Jenna Vetter would each tack on goals in the opening frame before the Lions were able to salvage one goal with 39 seconds left, 5-1.
 
Saint Leo won the second quarter 4-3 as the Lions used the momentum from the end of the first into the second with back-to-back goals, 5-3 FSC. Kassidy Miller ended the quick run with her first collegiate goal but the Lions' Holly Hill answered right back. The two teams traded goals in the closing seven minutes as Mojsej and McFerren scored for the Mocs and Abby Richards for Saint Leo. Florida Southern headed to the break with an 8-5 lead.
 
The Moccasins outscored the Lions 5-3 in the third frame with goals from Hanna Hale (2), Murphy, Hannah Guerin, and Mojsej to take a 13-8 lead into the final quarter.
 
Florida Southern and Saint Leo tied in scoring in the final frame 4-4 to close out the tightly contested top-10 matchup. Vetter finished a behind-the-back goal from McFerren as she opened the scoring for the Mocs in the final frame. Murphy, Mojsej, and McFerren would all tack on final goals of the contest. After Saint Leo scored with 2:05 to play, neither team would score as the game drew to a final of 17-12. 
 
No. 4 Florida Southern (2-0) returns to action on March 2 at noon against Anderson at Berend Field. The Moccasins continue their home stand with another matchup Tuesday, March 4 at 11 a.m. against Dominican (N.Y.).
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