TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Southern College men's lacrosse fell to No. 2 University of Tampa 17-5 on Wednesday at Naimoli Stadium in the semifinals of the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Championship. Florida Southern (6-10) managed 19 shots on goal but struggled to find the net beyond five scores. Tampa (17-1) controlled the game with a balanced attack, achieving 17 goals on 46 shots. Sophomore
Luke Secreti recorded 12 saves, but the team could not overcome the Spartans' offensive pressure.
Junior
Maddux Walton led FSC with three goals on eight shots, five of which were on target. The hat trick is Walton's ninth of the season, ranking sixth in the FSC Single Season Record Book. Senior
Jacob Czyz controlled the faceoff circle, winning 11 of 22 while also collecting eight ground balls. Czyz closes his career with 871 faceoff victories to rank second in FSC Career Record Book, just 16 shy of the all-time record. The achievement also ranks fourth in the Sunshine State Conference Record Book. He averaged 14.5 faceoff victories per game which ranks second all-time in SSC history. He scooped up 527 ground balls over his four years to hold the all-time record at FSC and ranks fourth all-time in SSC history. Freshman
Angus Walko facilitated the offense with two assists and added three shots on goal. Senior
Caiden Wiech contributed a goal and an assist, taking four shots with one on goal.
Florida Southern initiated the first quarter with a successful faceoff win by Czyz, establishing early possession. Despite turnovers in the opening minutes, Secreti made critical saves to keep the team in contention. The Spartans capitalized midway through with two goals, seizing an early lead. Following a Tampa scoring surge, which extended the lead to 4-0, the Moccasins took a strategic timeout. Freshman
Elijah Terry then provided a spark for the Mocs with a goal at the 3:26 mark, narrowing the deficit. The quarter concluded with Florida Southern trailing 5-1.
The second quarter began with Florida Southern securing the initial faceoff and maintaining early possession. Despite an early turnover, Walton scored with an assist from Walko at 6:46, narrowing the margin to 5-2. Tampa responded with a series of goals, starting with Rafe Bradshaw's shot at 2:16, followed by Connor McDonough's goal at 1:06. Jackson Bashaw added another in the final seconds of the quarter. FSC's attempts to close the gap, including a last-second shot by Czyz, were thwarted, concluding the half with Tampa leading 9-2.
Florida Southern began the third quarter with a successful faceoff win by Czyz, setting the stage for potential momentum. However, the Spartans struck first with two early goals, widening their lead. Florida Southern responded midway through the quarter when Walton scored, assisted by Wiech, cutting into the deficit. Tampa quickly regained control with a goal from Eric Burbank, followed by another score from Kyle White, extending their advantage. Despite several attempts, including a notable save by Secreti, FSC struggled to close the gap further. The quarter concluded with a Tampa goal from Matthew Vara, leaving the Moccasins trailing 14-3 at the end of the third quarter.
Florida Southern began the fourth quarter with a strong defensive stand, highlighted by Secreti's save against Cashton Papadelis. Despite an early turnover, the team capitalized on a clear attempt, allowing Walton to score with an assist from Walko, narrowing the deficit. Tampa responded quickly with two goals, but Florida Southern answered with a goal from Wiech, taking advantage of a faceoff violation by the Spartans. The team maintained pressure, but Tampa's Zach Johnson extended their lead with a late-quarter goal. The game closed with Florida Southern continuing to push offensively, with multiple shots on goal, but the efforts were met with saves from Tampa's goalie. The game ended with a score of 17-5 in favor of Tampa.
Rex Kesselring stood out for UT with a strong offensive performance, scoring two goals and adding three assists while taking six shots. His contribution included a game-winning goal. Burbank also demonstrated his playmaking abilities by providing three assists and adding a goal on four shots. Bashaw was effective around the net with two goals from four shots. In the defensive end, MP Thomas excelled in faceoffs, winning eight out of 13, and collected five ground balls, showcasing his importance in possession. Additionally, Ryan Thomas contributed with four ground balls, adding depth to the team's defensive capabilities.
