LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College men's soccer team advanced to the SSC Tournament semifinals with their 3-2 win over the sixth-seeded Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 3). The third-seeded Mocs make the semifinals for the first time in 20 years where they will face the seven-seed in Tampa on Thursday night (Nov. 5) at 6 pm at Berend Field.
SSC Semifinal
Opponent: 7-Seed Tampa
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Berend Field
Date: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.
Live Stats: http://www.fscmocs.com/stats
Video: www.fscmocs.com/live
Tournament Page: https://sunshinestateconference.com/tournaments/?id=286
Florida Southern advanced to the semifinals over PBA with a 3-2 victory in a match in which they scored all three goals in the final eight minutes of the contest. After allowing a goal in the opening 20 minutes, the offense finally scored their first goal in three matches with
Hector Oliver's strike just outside the box to tie the match.
A few minutes later,
Chandler Crawshaw received a great pass from
Tim Baierlein, who slotted a low line drive in the bottom corner of the net to take the 2-1 lead. Just minutes later, the Sailfish took their chance as an unfortunate handball in the box allowed a penalty kick to be converted from Kobi Thomas of PBA to draw the match even. Finally, the Mocs broke through with a goal with just 100 seconds remaining as a cross in from
Dakota Henry found the head of Baierlein who placed a ball in the side netting for Florida Southern to win an instant classic in Lakeland.
"What an amazing end to a college soccer game," said head coach Ashley Holmes. "Pure chaos, passion and desire was on display right until the very end. Credit to our players for digging in and finding a way to get the job done. PBA always give us a tough match, so it's a huge win for our group. Also, to be able to celebrate that one with with our fans and share the moment together after a playoff game was special. Hopefully we can get another big crowd tomorrow night, and more importantly, another positive result as we continue to make history. Let's keep this going!"
3rd Seed – The Moccasins - Roster |
Schedule |
Coaches |
Statistics
The Mocs are the highest-seed remaining in the SSC Tournament, with the #1, 2 and 4 seeds all dropping their quarterfinal matches. The 3-2 victory was the eighth time in 2026 of scoring three or more goals, and the first time since Oct. 10 against the Sailfish.
Baierlin's game-winner was his fifth on the season and his total goals in 2026 shoots up to eleven. Oliver, now at seven goals, scored his first goal since Sep. 30 and broke a streak of over 260 minutes without a goal for the Mocs. Crawshaw only has two goals on the season, also his first since the Saint Leo contest, with both coming in the most crucial of times. Finally,
Ricardo Marques made four saves on the afternoon yesterday, making 16 saves in his past three matches. The graduate student made two incredible saves in the closing minutes to keep the contest in the Mocs favor.
7th Seed – The Spartans - Roster |
Schedule |
Coaches |
Statistics
Tampa have both scored and given up 27 goals on the season and have the second-fewest fouls in the SSC with 152. The Spartans are 2-0 against top-25 opponents this season and have scored three or more goals in three matches in 2026 and have three shutouts on the season.
The Spartans are led by both Tommasso Polidori and Mason Clark with their five goals each on the season, followed closely by two other Tampa players with four goals. Between the sticks, Alex Hare has started every match for the Spartans and has allowed 27 goals in 2026 while making 52 saves and collecting three clean sheets on the season.
The Matchup – FSC vs UT
The Mocs and Spartans meet for the second time in Lakeland on the season as the two drew 1-1 on Oct. 21. After allowing a goal in the 30th minute,
Darcy Moffat scored for FSC in the 67th minute to force a tie. The past two matches between the Mocs and Spartans ended in a draw, with the Mocs taking a 1-0 win in Lakeland on Oct. 16th, 2024. This also will be the first time since 2014 that the two squads will play each other more than once in the same season.
FSC in the SSC Semifinals
With the win, the Mocs reach the semifinals for the first time in 20 years in the 2006 season. That year, they were also the three seed and dropped the match to no. 2 Barry, 3-0. FSC is 0-5 in SSC semifinal matches, and are hoping to reach the championship game for the first time in program history.
