#3 Mocs Deal #4 Eagles First League Loss of the Season

LAKELAND, Fla. – No. 3 Florida Southern women's lacrosse handed No. 4 Embry-Riddle its first league loss of the season in a Sunshine State Conference battle at Berend Field Wednesday night, as the Moccasins knocked off the Eagles 13-8.
 
Giana Murphy had a career day with seven career-best goals, totaling eight points, adding one assist to lead No. 3 Florida Southern to an overall 14-1 record and 4-1 in league action. Of her seven goals, her fifth one was credited as the game-winning goal with 4:01 to play in the third quarter.
 
In goal, Chloe Webber got the nod and earned her first career win after playing the opening 30 minutes between the pipes and registering one save, allowing just three goals. Rebekah Bargeron came in for the final 30 minutes and tallied three saves while allowing five. Charlie Laye helped drive the back line, where she led the defensive unit in caused turnovers with five, ahead of Isabelle Lucas and Julia Lucas, causing three. Brooke Keesey and Laye tallied a game-high four ground balls in the win.
 
Offensively, outside of Murphy's seven goals, it was a tightly packed night for the high-firing Moccasins, where just five total players scored. Jenna Vetter (2) and the Hanna(h) show proved to be all the Mocs needed in the mid-week matchup. Hannah Guerin tied Vetter with a pair of goals while Hanna Watson and Hannah Hale each scored once. Kolby Cohen dished out a game-high two assists ahead of Murphy, Watson, and Abby McFerren's one assist each.
 
Maria Reeves won eight of 15 Moc draw controls while the Cannelli's, Audrey Cannelli and Brayden Cannelli, each won two draws, with Murphy and Keesey each winning once.
 
Six players for Embry-Riddle (13-2, 4-1 SSC) spread out the eight goals while Callison Foreman and Samantha Reich each scored twice. Natalie Jansky led the Eagle charge in draw wins with three, while Foreman and Caitlin Gavin caused a team-high three turnovers. Aubrey Fixen played the first 30 minutes in goal for the Eagles and suffered her second loss of the season, tallying eight saves, while Ella-Rae Cox made two saves in the final 30 minutes of the game.
 
After nearly two minutes of scoreless play, Florida Southern opened the can with a goal as Kolby Cohen found Hanna Watson for the first of the game. Giana Murphy would make it 2-0 FSC with a free-position goal before the Eagles finally found the back of the net with 10:06 to play. Murphy would score again to give the Mocs a two-goal lead once again but ERAU's Natalie Jansky brought it to within one, 3-2, with 6:51. Hannah Guerin closed the scoring in the quarter with a goal a minute later (5:51) as Florida Southern won the first quarter, 4-2.
 
Both teams settled in during the second quarter, but Florida Southern claimed a 3-1 goal differential in the period to take a 7-3 lead into the halftime break. Jenna Vetter and Murphy (2) would score goals in the second frame for the Moccasins.
 
Embry-Riddle attempted to show promise as the Eagles scored first a minute into the period, but Vetter scored her second to keep it a four-goal margin. ERAU would bring it to within three, 8-5, but two straight goals from Murphy closed the period in favor of the Mocs, 10-5.
 
Hannah Hale and Murphy went back-to-back to make it 12-5, but a pair of Embry-Riddle goals brought it to within five, 12-7 with under six minutes to play. Florida Southern parked the bus with each offensive possession and just chewed the clock before Murphy found Guerin for the Moccasins' 13^th goal of the night with 3:55 to play. The Eagles would get one last goal with 1:22 to play, but Reeves won the final draw control, handing Embry-Riddle its first league loss of the season and moving Florida Southern to 4-1 in SSC play.
 
No. 3 Florida Southern remains at home, and will host No. 14 Rollins on Saturday, April 12^th at 1 p.m. to close out the regular season home games played at Berend Stadium. The game between the Mocs and the Tars serves as the Morgan's Message game.
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