WATCH LIVE as Rollins Soccer
Aims for Both SSC Titles Tonight
LAKELAND, Fla. (October 29,
2009) - The Rollins men's and women's soccer teams will
look to make Thursday the biggest day in Tars soccer history as
both programs aim for Sunshine State Conference titles against
Florida Southern in Lakeland.
The Tars Sports Network and Simple Thought Productions will
offer FREE
LIVE VIDEO of the event as well as FREE
AUDIO. Fans can also follow the historic matches through
Rollins LIVE
STATS.
WOMEN
The eighth-ranked Rollins women kick things off at 5 p.m. against
the Mocs with the winner claiming the outright Sunshine State
Conference regular season title. The game marks the regular season
finale for both teams as the Tars enter with a 6-0-1 record and 19
points in conference play, and Florida Southern is 6-1 in the SSC
with 18 points. Florida Tech has completed their season and is
currently atop the standings with a record of 7-1. A Rollins
victory would give head coach Tony Amato his second straight
conference title and the second in school history. A loss by the
Tars would split the championship between Florida Southern and
Florida Tech while a draw between the Tars and Mocs would give FIT
the outright title.
The top two finishers in the conference receive byes into the final
four of next weekend's Sunshine State Conference Tournament with
the top seed serving as host.
Larger than the impending conference implications, Rollins, Florida
Southern and Florida Tech are all jockeying for position in the
NCAA Division II South Region rankings. Undefeated and No. 1 ranked
West Florida sits as the top ranked team in the region while
Florida Tech surpassed Rollins as the second ranked team last week
with the Tars checking in at third.
MEN
Following the titanic women's match-up and what the Tars hope a
celebration by the Blue and Gold, the sixth ranked Rollins men take
the pitch against Florida Southern. The teams are on opposite ends
of the Sunshine State Conference standings with the Tars and Tampa
tied at the top while Florida Southern is at the bottom. A win by
the Tars would guarantee them at least a share of the Sunshine
State Conference title as well as lock up the top seed in next
week's conference tournament.
The logjam at the top of the conference standings will be played
out Thursday night as the top four teams are all in action. Rollins
and Tampa are in the driver's seats with 18 points, while Barry is
third with 15 points. Tampa is hosting Saint Leo and a win by the
Spartans would guarantee them at least a share of the regular
season title. If Rollins wins and Tampa loses, the Tars will own
the title, but if Rollins loses and Tampa wins, UT will hoist the
trophy. Should both Rollins and Tampa go down and Barry defeat Lynn
on the road, the Tars, Spartans and Bucs would each earn a share of
the title and seeding for the tournament would go to the tiebreaker
rules.
In the South region standings, Rollins holds the top spot, followed
closely by Tampa in second and Lynn in third. All three teams will
be vying for the No. 1 seed in the South Region Tournament and the
all important home field advantage.
