LAKELAND, Fla. – After a tightly contested first half, No. 2 Florida Southern pulled away from No. 23 Mercy for a 12-8 victory at Berend Field to remain undefeated on the season.
The Moccasins improved to 10-0 after the four-goal win.
Giana Murphy, who was credited with the game-winning goal, finished the day with a game-high seven points on four goals and three assists. Behind her was
Abby McFerren with three points (2G, 1A) while
Grace Curtin and
Hannah Hale each finished with two goals for two points.
Danielle Mojsej tallied one goal and an assist to match Hale and Curtin's two-point game.
Jenna Vetter and
Hannah Guerin were the only two others to register points in the win as Vetter notched one goal and Guerin tallied an assist.
Rylie Rittberg moves to 10-0 in goal after playing the full 60 minutes and earning three saves in the cage. Rittberg's career record in goal jumps to 20-1 overall, which is fourth all-time in program history.
Mercy fell to 3-4 through seven games while the Mavericks battled tightly on the road. Ashlinn Kelly had a team-high three points (1G, 2A), while Riley Wallace, Maeghan Callow, and Leah Hansen all found the back of the net twice for each player's two points in the game. Kayden Meyer and Juliana Talenti each notched a point in the loss.
Olivia LaMonica moves to 3-4 in goal on the season after tallying five saves in the full 60 minutes of action for the Mavs.
The first two quarters saw the teams draw even as the game headed to halftime knotted up at 5-5. The Mavericks opened the game on top with a man-down goal with 11:28 to play but Florida Southern answered two minutes later on a
Danielle Mojsej to
Hannah Hale connection, 1-1.
The two teams traded goals with the Mocs' striking last in the period at 3:28 on a
Giana Murphy free position goal, 2-2.
Murphy started the second quarter like she ended the first with a goal to push Florida Southern ahead but it only lasted 30 seconds as Mercy tied it back up. The Mavs would pull ahead by one again but back-to-back goals from Mojsej and
Grace Curtin allowed the Mocs to lead 5-4 with under a minute to play. Mercy's Ashlinn Kelly would score the equalizer with 50 seconds remaining as it drew to a first-half close, 5-5.
Florida Southern used a 4-2 third quarter and a 3-1 fourth quarter to pull away from Mercy. The Moccasins opened with back-to-back goals from Curtin and Murphy to capture a two-goal lead, but the Mavericks answered with one.
Abby McFerren and Murphy would tack on two more in a row for a 9-6 advantage with 6:34 to play. Mercy would get one back with 4:59 to play but neither team would score in the final five minutes of the frame, 9-7 FSC.
Mercy looked to cut into the deficit with the first goal of the quarter, but Florida Southern's defense and card issues for the Mavs allowed the Mocs to hold possession for most of the quarter. Vetter, Hale, and McFerren would all add to the count as the game ended with Florida Southern in front, 12-8.
No. 2 Florida Southern will take a week off before heading to Tampa, Fla. to face off with No. 1 Tampa at 5 p.m. on March 26.
