#4 Mocs Fend Off #7 Greyhounds Tuesday in Top 10 Showdown

LAKELAND, Fla. – No. 4 Florida Southern women's lacrosse held off No. 7 Indianapolis in a top 10 showdown at Berend Field at the Barnett Athletic Complex Tuesday night, 15-12. The Moccasins cruised to a 10-5 first half lead before fending off a six goal fourth by the Greyhounds for the three-goal final.
 
Giana Murphy paced Florida Southern with four goals to help keep the Moccasins undefeated on the season, 7-0, while Abby McFerren was close behind with three completing the hat trick in both goals and assists for a game-high six points. Murphy added one assist on the night for five points in the win.
 
Three Moccasins scored a pair of goals in Jenna Vetter, Grace Curtin, and Kassidy Miller. Maycie Neubauer and Danielle Mojsej rounded out the goal scorers for Florida Southern. Vetter filled the stat sheet with three ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers. 
 
Rylie Rittberg stood tall in goal and picked up win no. 7 on the season after playing the full 60 minutes, tallying nine saves against 21 Greyhound shots on goal.
 
Maria Reeves and Audrey Cannelli tallied a game-high five draw controls on Florida Southern's way to winning the battle between the restraining lines 19 to 10.
 
No. 7 Indianapolis (UIndy) moved to 4-2 on the season, despite a fourth quarter rally. The Greyhounds saw Olivia Bladon go off for a game-high five goals where Sage Da Silva and Jenna Hirovnen tallied two. Megan Ghert, Kendall Conrad, and Malaena Michielin each tallied a goal in the loss.
 
The Greyhounds' Ava Graham made seven saves in her 60 minutes in goal and moved to 3-2 on the season.
 
Florida Southern looked to be off to the races and be too much for UIndy scoring three unanswered goals in the first 4:55 seconds as Jenna Vetter, Grace Curtin, and Giana Murphy all scored. The Greyhounds finally found momentum and tied it 3-3 with three of their own unanswered goals, the last coming at 0:45 on the clock where the period ended all knotted up.
 
The Moccasins got right back to work and pushed the tempo and ripped off five straight goals from Kassidy Miller (2), Abby McFerren (2), and Murphy, to take a commanding 8-3 lead with 7:32 to play. Two quick UIndy goals stopped the run but McFerren and Murphy each tacked on another goal in the end of the second for a halftime score of 10-5.
 
Florida Southern opened the third like the first and second with a series of goals from Murphy, Vetter, and Curtin as the Mocs looked to sprint past the Greyhounds, 13-5. UIndy received its lone goal with 4:35 to play in the period before Maycie Neubauer found the back of the net off a pass from McFerren, 14-6.
 
UIndy brought the energy and set the tempo in the final quarter scoring six goals but ran out of time with the final goal coming with just three seconds to play. The Moccasins' lone goal in the period, which Florida Southern looked to just kill the clock, came as Hannah Hale dished a pass to Danielle Mojsej inside, finishing with a behind-the-back goal in the upper left corner. The Mocs held off the Greyhounds for the 15-12 win.
 
No. 4 Florida Southern remains at home and is in action again on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. when the Moccasins play host to the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers at Berend Field.
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