#3 Mocs Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals After Defeating #4 Eagles in Second Round

LAKELAND, Fla. – Rain or shine, or even a bit of mud, would not stop the third-ranked Florida Southern women's lacrosse team from completing the season three-peat sweep against the fourth-ranked Embry-Riddle Eagles. A four-hour rain delay stopped play in the NCAA Second Round matchup, where the Moccasins eventually went on to defeat the Eagles 13-9 to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinal matchup at No. 1 Tampa on May 17^th.   
 
Florida Southern moves to 18-2 overall after the win while Embry-Riddle's historic season comes to a halt at 17-4. The Moccasins held a seven to four lead at the half after scoring four goals in the opening frame followed by three in the second. A 2-0 third quarter favored Florida Southern with just 15 minutes to play and a 9-4 lead. As the teams headed to the bench as the quarter ended, lighting entered the area and stopped play for four hours, along with heavy rains.
 
The two teams came back to the field and resumed play at 5:51 p.m. where the Eagles attempted to mount a comeback, that would fall short, outscoring the Mocs 5-4 in the final frame. Florida Southern would chew the clock down and advance with a 13-9 win.
 
Abby McFerren paced the Moccasin offense with seven points on three goals and four assists. Danielle Mojsej and Giana Murphy, who scored all three goals in the final quarter, would rip off hattricks in the win. Kassidy Miller and Hannah Hale each dished out and scored in the game while Kolby Cohen, Isabelle Lucas, and Hanna Watson all tallied an assist. Julia Lucas and Hannah Guerin both found the back of the net early in the game.
 
A quartet of players finished the game with two caused turnovers in J. Lucas, Brayden Cannelli, Audrey Cannelli, and Brooke Keesey. A. Cannelli led the team in draw controls with six, outpacing Maria Reeves' three and B. Cannelli's two.
 
Chloe Webber, who finished with a team-high six groundballs, earned her fifth win in goal while making nine huge saves. Webber made two important saves in the final seven minutes of the game to keep the Moccasins ahead.
 
Embry-Riddle saw Kenley Zeruto dish out five assists to lead the Eagles in points while Eliana Enners, the recipient of Zeruto's passes, scored a game-high four goals. Ava Rogala and Caitlin Gavin finished the game with a pair of goals. Ella-Rae Cox suffered just her second loss of the season, falling to 8-2 on the historic run by the Eagles.
 
Florida Southern opened the game with three straight goals from Danielle Mojsej (from Abby McFerren), Julia Lucas (from Abby McFerren), and Kassidy Miller (from Hannah Hale). Embry-Riddle would finally get on the board and score back-to-back goals to cut it 3-2. Miller and Hale would reverse roles and see Hale find the back of the net for the Mocs' final goal of the opening frame, 4-2.
 
Exactly like the first quarter, Mojsej would score the Moccasins' first goal of the quarter off a pass from Hanna Watson. The Mocs and Eagles would trade goals to the 10 minutes mark, Mojsej scoring her third of the game at 10:46, before McFerren closed the door on goals at 2:11. The Mocs carried a 7-4 lead into the halftime break.
 
Guerin (assists from Isabelle Lucas) and McFerren (assisted by Kolby Cohen) would get the Mocs started in the second half, but the pair of goals would serve as the only two goals in the quarter leading to Florida Southern's 9-4 lead.
 
After the four-hour weather delay, Giana Murphy arrived in time scoring her first of the game at the 14:07 mark. The Eagles would rattle off four straight goals to cut it to 10-8 before a Moccasin timeout. Out of the timeout, Florida Southern's leaders in points, both goals and assists, would connect for back-to-back goals as Florida Southern went up 12-8. After McFerren assisted Murphy on the 11^th and 12^th goals, she received a pass from Mojsej as she cut down the middle and buried the 13^th goal of the game for the Mocs. Embry-Riddle would tack on a late goal, at the 14-second mark, as the game ended in favor of Florida Southern, 13-9.
 
No. 3 Florida Southern will travel to No. 1 Tampa for a third take of the season series and the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Quarterfinal game, hosted at Naimoli Family Athletic & Intramural Complex. Game time for Saturday's quarterfinal is slated for 3:00 p.m.
  Read Full Article