#3 Mocs Travel #1 Spartans for NCAA Quarterfinal Saturday Afternoon

The third-ranked and second-seed Florida Southern women's lacrosse team will travel to top-ranked and first seed Tampa Saturday, May 17 for the NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Quarterfinal game, scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at the Naimoli Family Athletics & Intramural Complex.
 
The Moccasins and Spartans meet for the third time this season and for the third consecutive time in the NCAA postseason in a winner-take-all matchup in the South Region. Florida Southern looks to snap Tampa's run and flip the 0-2 season series record for the third straight road matchup.
 
Florida Southern enters the weekend at 18-2 overall, with its only two losses at the hands of Tampa, 12-8 and 15-13. The Mocs still hold a 13-8 all-time series lead against the Spartans, but are 2-4 in the last six meetings. On the road in May favors Florida Southern with a 2-0 mark at the Naimoli Family Athletic & Intramural Complex as the Moccasins defeated the Spartans 20-10 in the 2022 Sunshine State Conference Championship game and then again 15-9 in the NCAA Second Round to advance to the National Semifinals.
 
No. 3 / Second-Seed Florida Southern (18-2)
The Moccasins average 15.55 goals per game and hold opponents to 8.9 through 20 games. On the offensive attack, 24 different Mocs have scored a goal this season, with eight having double-digit goals. Giana Murphy and Abby McFerren continue to drive the force and are the top two goal scorers for Florida Southern with 66 and 57 goals, respectively. The duo remains at the top of the team standings in points and assists. McFerren is the leader in total points (94) and assists (37), edging out Murphy's 90 points and 24 assists.
 
Maria Reeves, the South Region's top draw specialist, paces the Moccasins and the region in draw controls on the season. Reeves, who is currently setting the Florida Southern and Sunshine State Conference single-season individual draw control record game-by-game, has 186 total draw controls this season, ahead of the Cannelli twins' 84 combined. A. Cannelli is second on the team with 63 before B. Cannelli is in fourth with 21, behind Kolby Cohen's 27. McFerren slides in fifth on the team with 19.
 
The Cannelli's sandwich Charlie Laye in caused turnovers as B. Cannelli leads with 27 with A. Cannelli and Laye tied for second with 21. Cohen is fourth on the team with 18 with the Lucas' twins right on her heels with 17 (Isabelle Lucas) and 15 (Julia Lucas) to round out the double-digit CT performances this season.
 
Laye leads McFerren for the team's top groundball spot, 30 to 29, respectively, while J. Lucas is third with 27.
 
Chloe Webber and Rebekah Bargeron will be the two options in goal for the Mocs after Rylie Rittberg's season-ending injury after 14 games. Webber is 5-1 in goal and has a 9.20 goals-against average and a .442 save percentage, while Bargeron is at 5.48 GAA and .471 save percentage in nine games.
 
No. 1 / First-seed Tampa (18-1)
Tampa welcomes Florida Southern after posting a 9-1 record in the last 10 games, which the Spartans' lone loss of the season came at the hands of then-no. 7 Embry-Riddle 15-14 in overtime. Tampa is 10-0 at home including a pair of wins over the Moccasins.
 
The Spartans average 17.05 goals per game, which was inflated in early stomping of Rollins (26-9), #3 Adelphi (20-6), Lincoln Memorial (27-4), Lee (23-4) and then Palm Beach Atlantic in the end of the season (23-9). Tampa holds opponents to just 8.47 goals per game behind a dominating season from sophomore goalie Savvy Barbosa, who is 13-1 in goal and allows just 8.00 goals per game with a .507 save percentage.
 
Offensively, Peyton Howell has a program-record 104 points on the season with 82 goals and 22 assists in her junior season. She leads a group of six 20-plus goal scorers, with Sophi Wrisk and Sarah Engle second on the team with 35 goals, one ahead of Mary Kate Person's 34. Isabel McGarvey (28) and Maddy Szyluk (21) round out the 20-plus goal scorers.
 
Lexi Waters and Isabella Avila are the top two Spartans in draw controls with 99 and 85, respectively. The duo also led the team in groundballs 52 and 44, respectively, while holding true for caused turnovers, 40 and 35, respectively.
 
How they Got to the Quarterfinals
Tampa defeated Lynn in the Second Round 12-7 as Sophi Wrisk paced the team in scoring with four goals, ahead of Maddie Szyluk's three and Sia Markowski's two. Savvy Barbosa made 14 saves on 21 shots in the win.
 
Florida Southern defeated Embry-Riddle 13-9 after a four-hour rain delay before the fourth quarter. Three different Moccasins registered hattricks in Abby McFerren, Danielle Mojsej, and Giana Murphy. Mojsej scored her three goals in the first half, while Murphy scored her three in the fourth quarter. McFerren had four assists to go along with her three goals to lead the team with a game-high seven points. Chloe Webber made nine saves on the Eagles' 18 shots on goal.
 
What's Next
The winner of the NCAA DII Quarterfinal game earns a bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse National Semifinals hosted at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va. on May 22^nd with the National Championship slotted for May 24^th.