ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — #1/#1 Florida Southern women's lacrosse faced a tough challenge on Wednesday at Flagler Field, falling to the #5/#3 Saints 13-7. Despite the setback, the Moccasins showed grit on the draw circle, winning 16 battles, though Flagler made the most of their opportunities, converting four power-play goals.
Jenna Vetter and
Loise Aloi led the offensive charge with three goals apiece.
Lindsey Tolliver was the only other goal scorer for the Mocs.
Kolby Cohen grabbed a career-high 11 draw controls and notched the Mocs' lone assist.
Rebekah Bargeron helped the Moccasin defense with five saves in the fourth quarter.
The action kicked off with Flagler's Ella Pinder winning the draw control. A turnover quickly ensued, leading to back-and-forth exchanges as both teams struggled to keep possession. Flagler's Jessica Wright set up two man-up goals, with Pinder netting the first at 11:20 and Bella Graziano adding another at 9:49. Florida Southern answered back with consecutive goals; Vetter struck at 9:00, followed by Aloi at 8:20, ending the quarter in a 2-2 stalemate.
Florida Southern took charge in the second quarter, sparked by Aloi's back-to-back goals at 14:07 and 13:33, pushing the Mocs ahead 4-2. Vetter added another at 11:10, widening the lead. Flagler responded with a goal from Taylor Jendrek at 8:12, assisted by Mia Cosentino. As the clock wound down, Ava Lambros scored for Flagler with just 23 seconds left, assisted by Carley Tepel, tightening Florida Southern's lead to 5-4 at halftime.
The third quarter saw Flagler turn the tide, overtaking the Mocs to finish with a 9-7 lead. Tolliver started the scoring for Florida Southern with a goal at 11:44, but Flagler countered with a series of goals, beginning with Pinder's free position shot at 8:50. Goals from Taylor Halloran and Carley Tepel followed, the latter capitalizing on a man-up play. Vetter briefly pulled the Mocs even at 6-6 with a goal assisted by Cohen at 6:44, but Flagler's Wright and Jendrek regained the lead, with Jendrek adding a free position goal at 1:24.
In the final quarter, Flagler extended their advantage with a string of goals, starting with Pinder's man-up goal at 13:22. Lambros added two more, including a Tepel-assisted goal at 4:34, and Cosentino found the net with Pinder's assist at 5:59. Florida Southern's attempts to rally were thwarted by Flagler's goalie Dakota Capolino, who held the Mocs scoreless in the final frame. The game concluded with the Saints on top, 13-7.
Florida Southern holds a 4-1 record and is ranked first nationally, while Flagler stands at 5-0, holding the No. 5 spot.
Next up for the Mocs is a home matchup against Regis University at Berend Field in Lakeland, Florida, set for Monday, March 2 at 4 p.m.
