BOCA RATON, Fla. (November 2, 2012) - With a
birth in the SSC Championship final at stake, the third seeded Tars
left no doubt, defeating Tampa 3-1 in Boca Raton.
Unlike the two previous meeting against Tampa, two closely
contested battles, Rollins dominated Friday's semifinal, including
two goals over a five minute span.
Rollins jumped out to the early lead when Grant Blackhurst hit a good strike from 25 yards out
in the 27th minute, fitting it inside the near post
after beating his defender on the left wing. Blackhurst is now tied
for second on the team with eight goals.
The Tars would extend the lead just after the half. Senior Daniel Salazar set up to take a free quick from
the left, just outside the box, and whipped it in looking for a
teammate far post. Rollins failed to convert on the first attempt
but junior Philipp Schad collected the rebound and slotted it in
the lower left corner.
Five minutes later, Brett Durrance added his team leading ninth goal of
the season to take the 3-0 lead. Sophomore Skyler Russell lined up to take a corner in the
51st minute, sending a high bending ball towards to the
far post that found the head of Durrance, who found the back of the
net.
The Spartans showed life shortly after, adding a goal a minute
later when a long throw in from the left sideline caromed off the
crossbar before Samoda Johnson knocked in it the open net.
But that was as close as Tampa would come as both teams went
scoreless the rest of the way.
"That was a big time performance," said Tars head coach Dr. Keith Buckley.
"I am really excited about this group and the staff we have. Now
we have to focus for a tough match against either Lynn or
Eckerd."
The Tars will now play in the SSC Tournament final on Sunday
against the winner of Friday's second semifinal match between top
seeded Lynn and fourth seeded Eckerd. Kickoff is set for 1 pm in
Boca Raton. If you can't make it to the game, fans can listen live
on the Tars Sports Network on RollinsSports.com
