LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College men's lacrosse (4-9, 3-3 SSC) secured a narrow 12–11 victory over No. 19 Rollins College (6-7, 2-4 SSC) on Saturday night at Berend Field. This victory marked the first for the Moccasins over the Tars since 2022, ending a five-game losing streak in the series. FSC overcame an early deficit, tying the game with a strong third quarter where it scored six goals. The home team maintained its lead in the fourth quarter, aided by a total of two extra-man goals throughout the matchup. RC, despite a strong start with two goals in the first quarter, fell short in the close contest. The victory also evens the all-time series between the Moccasins and Tars at 11 wins each.
Junior
Maddux Walton led the Moccasins with three goals, including an extra-man and an unassisted goal, on nine shots. Senior
Nolan Tighe scored a season-high three goals in the victory, matching Walton's contribution, and converted all of them unassisted. He is now just four goals away from reaching 100 for his career. Senior
Jacob Czyz controlled the midfield by winning 13 of 23 faceoffs. Junior
Vinnie Muscella added a decisive touch with the game-winning goal, the second winning tally of the season for the Port Deposit, Md. native.
Sophomore
Luke Secreti was outstanding in the cage as he made a game-high 12 saves to earn his fourth victory of the season. Junior
Will Rockwell held down the defense with three caused turnovers.
The game began with Florida Southern securing the opening faceoff, indicating an assertive start. Despite several successful clears, the Mocs struggled to maintain possession, resulting in turnovers that hampered their offensive efforts. Rollins capitalized on these opportunities, scoring twice, with goals from Zachary Blinkoff and Aaron Williams, setting the tone for the quarter.
Florida Southern's defense, led by Secreti, managed to make key saves, but the team was unable to find the back of the net despite multiple shot attempts, including those by Walton and junior
Kristian Kent. The first quarter concluded with the Tars leading 2–0, as FSC aimed to regroup and close the gap in the subsequent quarter.
Florida Southern opened the second quarter with a strong start as senior
Jack Epley scored at 12:44, assisted by freshman
Angus Walko, marking Epley's fifth goal of the season. The team maintained pressure, winning the ensuing faceoff and keeping possession before Walton found the net on a man-up opportunity, assisted by senior
Caiden Wiech, to notch his 30th goal of the season at 2:34.
Between these scoring moments, the Moccasins' defense, led by goalie Secreti, made critical saves against multiple shots from Rollins, effectively handling their offensive attempts. The quarter concluded with Florida Southern narrowing the gap to 3–2, setting up a competitive continuation into the second half.
Florida Southern began the third quarter by quickly responding to Rollins' opening goal. Walton scored at 13:04, assisted by freshan
Brady Schnurr, which was Walton's 31st goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, Tighe found the back of the net at 12:01, bringing Florida Southern level. The score stood at 4–4.
RC then took a lead with consecutive goals, but Florida Southern answered back. Tighe scored his second goal of the quarter at 8:21, narrowing the gap. Freshman
Ryan Filippi capitalized on a man-up opportunity, scoring at 4:58. By the quarter's end, Schnurr and freshman
Elijah Terry each added goals, with Terry's late score at 00:25 ensuring the quarter closed with the score tied 8–8.
Florida Southern opened the fourth quarter with momentum as Walton scored at 13:41, quickly followed by a goal from Tighe, extending its lead. Czyz played a crucial role in the faceoff wins, maintaining possession and setting up further opportunities.
Rollins responded with a goal from Logan Myers at 10:13, but Florida Southern answered promptly with Walko scoring at 09:27. Muscella added to the lead with a goal at 05:28, keeping the Mocs ahead.
Despite Rollins closing the gap with two quick goals, Florida Southern's defense, led by Rockwell, held strong in the final minutes. Goalkeeper Secreti made key saves, ensuring a 12–11 victory for the Moccasins as the quarter ended.
Aaron Williams led the Rollins squad with three goals and an assist, registering eight shots on goal from a total of ten attempts. His offensive contribution was crucial, setting the pace for the team. Brady Greco was strong at the faceoff, winning 11 out of 21 faceoffs, which provided the team with critical possession opportunities. Blinkoff added to the scoring with two goals and an assist, demonstrating efficiency with three of his nine shots on target. Goalie Nick Catino played a pivotal role in defense, with two saves and allowing just two goals from 14 shots faced, helping to maintain the team's strong defensive record.
Up next for Florida Southern is a home matchup against Embry-Riddle. The game is set for Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. at Berend Field in Lakeland, Florida.
