WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 2, 2008) - The
eighth-ranked Rollins women's soccer team battled their way to a
1-0 victory over Saint Leo University on Sunday evening to win
their first ever regular season championship title in program
history. The Tars remain undefeated on the season, moving ahead to
14-0-3, 7-0-1 in conference play, while the Lions drop to 14-4-0,
and 5-3-0 in Sunshine State Conference action.
Junior midfielder Rachel
Jakubowski scored the lone goal of the evening in the 16 minute
to pull Rollins ahead early. A cross from freshman forward Ashley
Waplinger found the feet of senior forward Lindsay
Giblin. Things looked hopeful for the Tars in that moment, but
Giblin's shot would be saved and rebounded back to the feet of
Jakubowski who went on to one-touched a quick shot past Saint Leo
goalkeeper Lauren Hudson to tab the Tars' game-winning tally.
Freshman goalkeeper Michelle
Dillingham grabbed her second shutout of the week, making three
saves and seeing a total of 12 shots on the evening. The Debary,
Fla. native saw a full 90 minutes between the pipes, and concluded
a whirlwind week of action allowing only one goal, collecting 11
saves, playing a total of 270 minutes, and facing a total of 30
shots in three games this past week.
The Tars set the pace early, controlling the tempo of the game
and allowing Saint Leo very few chances to find successful shots on
goal. Rollins led the matchup in shots 15-12, corner kicks 10-2,
and shots on goal 6-3.
A solid back line for Rollins consisting of Leah
Hirsch, Meagan
Thomas, Dana
Merrill, and Maia
Ryan tamed an unyielding Lions forward line, and denied them on
scoring opportunities in the box. A midfield consisting of Jessica
Mooney, Joy
Powell, and Jakubowski helped the forward line of Chelsea
Brady, Waplinger, and Giblin keep the ball in the Tars' favor,
while the trio of sophomore Jessica
Deese and freshmen Georgia
Libert and Charlotte
Murrell provided plenty of depth in the reserve line to keep
the level of play up to speed.
Three seniors ended their regular season play on a high note, as
Merrill, Giblin, and Danielle
Martin picked up the biggest win of their Rollins women's
soccer careers on their home pitch of Cahall-Sandspur Field. With
tonight's victory, Rollins earns a bye for Tuesday's quarter final
round, where No. 5 Lynn will look to take on No. 4 Saint Leo, and
No. 6 Florida Tech hopes to upset No. 3 Tampa.
The Tars will host the upcoming Sunshine State Conference
Tournament to be held Friday, November 7, when the winner of the
No. 3/6 game will take on No. 2 Florida Southern at 4:30 p.m., and
the winner of the No. 4/5 game takes on Rollins at 7:00 p.m. The
winners of the semifinal round will move on to Sunday's
championship match on November 9 at 1:00 p.m. Fans will be able to
catch all of the Rollins women's soccer action live on the
Citizen's Bank of Florida Tars Sports Network at www.RollinsSports.com.
