The third-ranked Florida Southern College Moccasins will face off against a familiar foe in the NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship Second Round Saturday as the Mocs host the fourth-ranked Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Eagles at Berend Field and the Barnett Athletic Complex.
Game Time: 12 PM
(gates open at 11 AM)
Tickets: $10 Adults, $7 Senior (62yr & Military), $5 Students (Valid ID), FREE Children (5 younger)
Live Video | Live Stats | Press Conference
Due to Saturday's forecast, the game time was moved to a noon start for the first draw. The Mocs and Eagles will take the field for the third time this season at Berend Field. Florida Southern is up 2-0 in the 2025 series after a 13-8 win in the regular season and a 13-6 win in the Sunshine State Conference semifinals.
Florida Southern, the No. 2 seed in the NCAA South Region, received a first-round bye and hosted the neutral-site game against the No. 3 seed Eagles and the No. 6 seed Mount Olive on May 8. ERAU knocked off UMO 20-14 in the Eagles' first-ever NCAA tournament game. Embry-Riddle advanced to the second round and looks uphill against the Mocs.
A well-rested Moccasin team will look to put a stop to the Eagles' historic season and vie for a chance at the NCAA quarterfinal matchup on May 17. The quarterfinal game will be played at the highest remaining seed in the South Region (No. 1 Tampa, No. 2 Florida Southern, No. 3 Embry-Riddle). The Spartans and Fighting Knights of Lynn University will face off Saturday, May 10
th, at 3 p.m. in the other second-round matchup of the South Region.
In the previous two meetings between Florida Southern and Embry-Riddle, the Mocs were led by
Giana Murphy with 11 total points on nine goals and two assists.
Abby McFerren was right behind with seven points on four goals and three assists, where
Jenna Vetter,
Hanna Watson, and
Hannah Guerin each had four points between the two games. In goal,
Chloe Webber went 2-0 with 90 minutes of play, making seven saves (.438).
For the Eagles, Callison Foreman led the charge with six total points on four goals and two assists. Ava Rogala notched three points, where Natalie Jansky, Samantha Reich, Kenley Zeruto, Eliana Enners, and Caitlin Gavin each had two points. Both Aubrey Fixen and Ella-Rae Cox appeared in the series and suffered losses as Fixen made 10 saves in 51:12 minutes (.500), and Cox had just four in 68:48 (.200).
Embry-Riddle topped Mount Olive 20-14 behind a standout performance from Kenley Zeruto who finished the game with 10 points. She scored the game's first goal and then assisted on nine other Eagle goals as ERAU went on for the six-goal victory. Aubrey Fixen got the nod in goal and earned the win after playing 45 minutes with six saves, while Ella-Rae Cox played the final 15 minutes and made four stops.
On the season, the Eagles average 16.8 goals per game, behind seven players who have 30 or more goals. Eliana Enners paces the team with 55 goals this season with Samantha Reich at 47. Ava Rogala is a close third with 45, ahead of Callison Foreman (44), Natalie Jansky (38), Caitlin Gavin (36), and Kenley Zeruto (31). Zertuo paces the team with 74 total assists and 105 total points this season.
Though Florida Southern averages 1.1 goals less per game, the Moccasins' defense holds opponents to just 8.89 goals allowed, 0.91 less than the Eagles. Four Mocs are over 30 goals on the season, with
Giana Murphy leading the way with 63. She leads a group of
Abby McFerren (54),
Jenna Vetter (38), and
Hannah Hale (32) with over 30 goals. Florida Southern's spread offense has seen 23 different goal scorers on the season, including the 30-goal scorers. Murphy and McFerren have been battling it out all year for the Mocs for the points leader and head into the second-round game knotted at 87 total points. McFerren is the team's leader in assists with 33.
Maria Reeves will continue to reach new heights as she holds the SSC and FSC individual single-season draw control record, heading into the weekend with 183 total. She stands tall against the league and nation where she led the nation in draw controls per game (9.63) and helped the Mocs lead the nation in draw control percentage (.694).
The Mocs will unleash the twin power out of the back field with
Brayden Cannelli and
Audrey Cannelli, as well as
Isabelle Lucas and
Julia Lucas as four top defenders in the nation. B. Cannelli is the team leader in caused turnovers ahead of another defensive stud,
Charlie Laye. A. Cannelli is one off second place (19) while
Kolby Cohen sneaks in the top six players with 18 CTs. Behind Reeves' 183 draw controls, A. Cannelli is second with 57, sitting comfortably 30 ahead of Cohen's 27. Groundball hawks, nine players have over 20 goundballs this season with Laye clinging to a two-ball advantage over McFerren, 29 to 27, while both J. Lucas and A. Cannelli are in the mix with 25 and 24, respectively.
The Mocs and Eagles take the field at noon Saturday as the two battle it out for the eighth time. Florida Southern is 6-1 against Embry-Riddle, while averaging 17.14 goals per game to the Eagles' 9.86. The Mocs are 4-0 at Berend Field with scores of 13-6 (2025), 13-8 (2025), 26-14 (2023), and 21-10 (2019).
