Mocs Nearly Upset #1 Tampa in Season Finale

LAKELAND, Fla. - The Florida Southern College men's lacrosse team welcomed in top-ranked University of Tampa Wednesday night for the 2025 regular season finale. The Moccasins, who entered the game with an outside chance of grabbing the final spot in the upcoming Sunshine State Conference Championship, took the Spartans the distance falling 11-10 in overtime. FSC trailed by six goals with 12 minutes remaining in the game before exploding for a 6-0 run over a span of 9:56 to force overtime.
 
The loss gives Florida Southern a final record of 3-11 overall ands 1-6 in conference play. The Spartans head to the postseason carrying a perfect 16-0 mark including 7-0 in league action.
 
The quartet of juniors Nolan Tighe and Caiden Wiech, sophomore Maddux Walton and senior Brydon Robichaud powered the Mocs late in the contest. Wiech scored the opening goal of the 6-0 run before assisting on two others while Tighe and Robichaud each scored twice in the run and Walton added a goal and an assist.
 
Robichaud scored the game-tying goal with 1:58 left in the fourth. Junior Jacob Czyz followed with a faceoff win but the Moccasins were called for an illegal screen which gave the ball over to the Spartans with 1:10 left. The Spartans ran down the clock before attacking in the final 10 seconds. A quick one-timer hit off the post before the Spartans scooped up the groundball for one last shot which went wide.
 
Czyz won the opening faceoff of the overtime period but the Spartans were able to force a turnover just seconds later. Following a clear the Spartans set up their final play and scored on a shot that found its way past a screened Moccasins keeper.
 
Walton led the offensive effort Wednesday with five points off of three goals and two assists. Wiech, who entered the game with just one point on the season off a goal, scored twice and handed out two assists versus the Spartans. Tighe scored his third hat trick of the season with three goals off of six shots. Robichaud was the final multi-point scorer with two goals in the loss. Freshman Carter Vaillancourt, sophomore Grant Ansted and senior Mason McQuiggin each added assists to the effort.
 
Czyz led the way at the faceoff as he went 16-of-24 (.667) with a team-best six groundballs. He also earned a pair of caused turnovers. Ansted ranked second on the team in groundballs with five while McQuiggin and graduate student Michael Simone each finished with three.
 
Simone made 11 saves in the losing effort. He ends his senior campaign with double-digit saves in 13 of 14 contests while playing all but 17:40 in goal for the Mocs this season. His 54 career games played in goal are third all-time at FSC while his 48 career starts rank second. He ranks third in career minutes played at 2740:28 and saves with 558. His 26 career victories rank second in the FSC record book as well.
 
Jackson Bashaw led the Spartans with two goals and an assist while Tampa keeper Connor Theriault made 11 saves in the victory.
 
Florida Southern concludes the 2025 season with the loss to Tampa.
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