LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College men's lacrosse (2-7, 1-1 SSC) secured a 10–7 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic University (5-6, 0-2 SSC) on Saturday night at Berend Field. This victory further solidified Florida Southern's dominance in the series, as they improved to 9-0 all-time versus Palm Beach Atlantic in men's lacrosse. The Moccasins capitalized with two extra-man goals and controlled faceoffs 13–8, contributing to their win. Florida Southern's defense limited PBA to zero extra-man goals on two opportunities.
The Moccasins also celebrated Senior Night for 14 Moccasin seniors. The team and fans honored
Luke Henricksen,
Jacob Czyz,
Jack Epley,
Nolan Tighe,
Caiden Wiech,
Anthony Guglielmo,
Nick Ludwig,
Seth VonHiltmayer,
Jack Losey,
John Dowling,
Charles Ceparano,
Chris Panetta,
Jackson Germann and
Mitchell Wallace during a pregame ceremony.
The first quarter began with Florida Southern gaining an initial advantage through freshman
Ryan Filippi, who capitalized on an extra-man opportunity to score the first goal of the game and first of his collegiate career. The home team maintained momentum with a strong faceoff performance by senior
Jacob Czyz, leading to freshman
Elijah Terry's goal at 12:33, putting FSC ahead 2–1. Czyz's impressive performance also saw him become the career leader in groundballs with 464, surpassing former Moccasin great Kevin Horwitz (2018-22), who ended his career with 461.
Palm Beach Atlantic responded quickly, with goals by Noah Zimmerman and Zion Lee leveling the score at 2–2. The Mocs reclaimed the lead when senior
Nolan Tighe scored, assisted by freshman
Angus Walko, bringing the score to 3–2. However, the Sailfish managed to equalize again with a late goal by Braylon Baker, closing the quarter at a 3–3 tie.
The second quarter began with Florida Southern capitalizing on a turnover by Palm Beach Atlantic. Walko scored at 9:02, marking his 20th goal of the season. This was followed by another goal from junior
Maddux Walton, assisted by senior
Caiden Wiech, extending the lead for the Moccasins.
The momentum continued as Filippi scored a man-up goal at 4:06 with an assist from Walton. Florida Southern further expanded its lead when Walton netted another goal at 2:18, assisted by junior
Vinnie Muscella. The defensive efforts, highlighted by several successful clears and caused turnovers, stifled PBA's attempts to respond.
FSC closed the quarter strongly, preventing Palm Beach Atlantic from scoring and ending with a 7–3 lead.
The third quarter began with a strong defensive stance from Florida Southern, as sophomore goalkeeper
Luke Secreti made multiple key saves to maintain the lead. Early offensive efforts culminated in a goal by Muscella at 8:54, extending Florida Southern's advantage.
Palm Beach Atlantic responded with goals from Giovanni Lubrano and Gabe Eckhart, reducing the deficit. Despite these challenges, Florida Southern's defense, led by Secreti, made critical stops. However, Palm Beach Atlantic finished the quarter with a late goal by Zimmerman, closing the quarter with Florida Southern leading 8–6.
Florida Southern opened the fourth quarter with a strong defensive effort, as senior
Jack Epley caused an early turnover, leading to a ground ball pickup and a successful clear. Walton capitalized on this momentum with a goal at 11:58, assisted by Terry, extending Florida Southern's lead.
Palm Beach Atlantic responded midway through the quarter with a goal by Baker, reducing the deficit to two. However, the Moccasins' defense held firm, with Secreti making a crucial save on a shot by Patrick Law during an extra-man opportunity. Terry added another goal at 2:51, securing a 10–7 advantage.
As the quarter concluded, FSC maintained its lead, despite a late shot attempt by Palm Beach Atlantic that was saved by Secreti. The final score was 10–7 in favor of Florida Southern, securing its victory.
Filippi found the back of the net twice, both on extra-man opportunities, contributing significantly to the team's offensive efforts. Czyz controlled the faceoff circle, winning 13 of 20 to maintain possession. Walton was a key scorer with three goals and added an assist, showing a well-rounded performance. Muscella scored once and assisted one, with his goal being the game-winner, securing the victory for the Moccasins. Secreti secured 11 saves in the victory, the second of his FSC career.
Baker has been a standout for the Sailfish, scoring two unassisted goals and taking eight shots, with five on goal. Zimmerman also contributed significantly with two goals from nine shots, three of which were on target. Lee displayed versatility with one goal and one assist, while his four shots included three on goal. In goal, Vincent Probst faced 28 shots, making four saves and allowing ten goals.
The next challenge for Florida Southern is a road matchup against No. 17 Saint Leo. They will face off at University Turf Stadium in Saint Leo, Florida, on Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m.
