AUBURNDALE, Fla. — #2/#2 Florida Southern College women's lacrosse (19-1) secured a decisive 14–9 victory over Flagler College (20-1) in the NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse Quarterfinal on Friday at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex to advance to the Final Four in Rochester, N.Y. A six-goal third quarter propelled the Mocs forward to a dominant victory over an undefeated Flagler team.
Louise Aloi led the Florida Southern attack with four goals and two assists, converting all five of her shots on goal, including a game-winning and player-up goal.
Jenna Vetter added to the offensive firepower with four goals and one assist, taking 10 shots and hitting the target seven times, with two goals on player-up opportunities.
Audrey Cannelli contributed defensively, recording three caused turnovers and securing two ground balls.
Hanna Watson also played a key role, scoring twice and assisting once, while converting another player-up opportunity.
Flagler opened the game with the early edge when Jessica Wright scored the opening goal for Flagler at 10:51, putting the visitors ahead. The Mocs responded with a goal from Vetter at the 10:00 mark. Flagler took advantage of a player-up situation, with Carley Tepel scoring at 8:10. Despite a player-up goal by Vetter with assistance from Watson and another score by Watson, Flagler maintained a slight edge, leading 4–3 by the quarter's end.
Florida Southern and Flagler ended the second quarter in a 6–6 tie after an eventful 15 minutes. Aloi scored early for the Mocs at 13:51, bringing her season total to 20 goals. Flagler responded with a goal from Wright at 11:02, assisted by Ella Pinder, which marked Wright's 66th of the season. Watson and
Danielle Mojsej added to Florida Southern's tally with goals at 8:43 and 5:01, respectively, with Mojsej's goal assisted by Vetter. Despite strong defense and draw control by the Mocs, Flagler's Kylie Budke scored with just one second left in the quarter, ensuring the teams remained level going into the next quarter.
Florida Southern capitalized on its player-up opportunities in the third quarter, scoring six unanswered goals to extend its lead over Flagler. Vetter initiated the scoring with a player-up goal at 14:01, assisted by Aloi. Aloi continued to play a pivotal role, assisting
Grace Curtin's player-up goal at 11:36 and scoring twice herself, including a player-up goal at 6:53.
Kassidy Miller further extended the advantage with a player-up free position goal at 4:33.
Kolby Cohen capped off the quarter with a goal in the final seconds, bringing the score to 12–6 in favor of Florida Southern by the end of the quarter.
Flagler opened the fourth quarter with a goal by Carly Bagnasco at 14:33, assisted by Izzy Campos, narrowing the gap to 12–8. Flagler continued its offensive push with Ava Lambros scoring at 10:45, assisted by Budke, and Taylor Jendrek adding another at 10:06, bringing the score to 12–10. Florida Southern responded with a goal from Vetter at 3:15, assisted by Mojsej, and then closed the quarter with a goal by Aloi at 1:19. The Mocs maintained their lead, holding a final score of 14–9 to end the game.
Florida Southern advances to their fifth NCAA Final Four in program history, the first since 2023. The Mocs will await their NCAA Semifinal match up following the three quarterfinal games taking place this Saturday, May 16th. The NCAA Final Four will be held at Judson Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. on May 21st, hosted by the Rochester Institute of Technology.
