Tars Fall to Mocs in Hard-Fought Battle, 12-11

No. 2 Seed Rollins (14-3)

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12

No. 1 Seed Florida Southern (16-3)

Box Score

Tars Fall in Hard-Fought SSC Tourney Championship Game to Mocs, 12-11

Four Tars Named to All-Tournament Team

LAKELAND, Fla. (May 1, 2016) - Squaring off against the No. 1 Seeded Florida Southern Moccasins in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship for the second-straight season, the second-seeded Rollins women's lacrosse team was unable to edge a resilient Moccasin squad, falling to their SSC rival by a final score of 12-11 on Sunday afternoon at Bryant Stadium.

For their play in this year's tournament, Tyler Thomas, Kris Coppolino, Malorie Olin, and Lindsay Van Beck all earned a place on the 2016 Sunshine State Conference All-Tournament Team.

The loss drops the Tars, who checked in at No. 6 on the latest IWLCA Division II Poll, to a mark of 14-3 on the season, while Florida Southern, who got the nod at No. 3 on the latest IWLCA DII Poll, advance to an overall record of 16-3.

Paige Brock and Kris Coppolino led the way for the Tars, each netting a hat trick on the afternoon. Tyler Thomas tallied two goals, while Grayson McPhee notched one goal and a team best two assists. Kallie German and Emily Eddowes each score once to round out the Tars' scoring efforts on the day.

Taylor Thomas led the team in ground balls, compiling four, while P. Brock and Coppolino led the team with three draw controls each. Defensively, Ty Thomas earned three caused turnovers to lead the Tars. In goal, Malorie Olin earned six saves in 60 minutes between the pipes.

Florida Southern was led by Tournament MVP Kendall Kerge, who tallied a game high four goals. Shannon Gilfedder notched a hat trick of her own, while Ashley Robetson and Casey O'Brien each scored twice. Cayla Shawfield scored one goal, while Emily Santolie earned a team high two assists. Kelsey O'Connor, Channon Mazza, and Dani Bursinger each tallied one assist.

Rachel Griffith led the Mocs in ground balls and caused turnovers with four and three respectively, while Megan Vadala, O'Connor, and Bursinger each earned three draw controls. Taylor Gillis started the game between the pipes, earning three saves while allowing eight goals in 35 minutes played. Paige Brodbeck took to the field for the final 25 minutes, coming up big to earn the win as she made nine saves while allowing just three goals.

Florida Southern was first on the board with a goal by Gilfedder a little under five minutes into the contest, but a free position goal by Thomas less than a minute later ignited a Rollins scoring streak that saw them post four straight, including two by Coppolino, to take a 4-1 lead with 18:55 to play before the half.

The Mocs hit a scoring streak of their own, led by a free position goal by Robertson at the 15:18 mark, and ending with a goal by Kerge with 9:30 to go before the break to pull back into the lead, 5-4. The ensuing minutes were scoreless for both sides, but a goal by Casey O'Brien with 2:57 on the clock pulled the Mocs out to a two goal lead, 6-4.

The Tars answered back, cutting the deficit to one thanks to an unassisted goal by P. Brock with 2:23 on the clock, but Kerge pulled the Mocs' lead back out to two with a free position goal with 1:10 to play in the half to seal the first half with a score of 7-5.

P. Brock got the ball rolling in the second half, with an unassisted goal two minutes in, but the Mocs saw Kerge find the back of the net 30 seconds later to pull back out to a two-goal advantage, 8-6, with 27:34 to play.

Rollins answered back, with McPhee finding Eddowes for the Tars' seventh of the game, followed by an unassisted goal by McPhee to knot the score at 8-8 with 24:29 on the clock. Kerge once again put the Mocs in the lead with an unassisted goal at the 22:31 mark, but Coppolino ignited a three goal streak that saw Rollins pull into an 11-9 lead with 16:19 left in the game.

The Mocs were not about to back down, and with a goal by O'Brien on a free position shot at the 10:59 mark, started to whittle their way at the deficit. Florida Southern earned the game tying goal by Gilfedder with 9:55 to play, and picked up the go-ahead goal with 4:27 on the clock.

The Tars had three solid looks on goal in the final minute of the game, with Ty Thomas earning the caused turnover on a failed Florida Southern clear with a shade over a minute to go. Thomas brought the ball back down into the Tars attacking end, and a free position shot by P. Brock was saved by Paige Brodbeck to keep the Tars at bay. Rollins was still on the hunt, however, as Brock picked up the rebound and fired off a shot that went high.

With Rollins backing up the shot, the Tars were once again on the attack, and with the second ticking down Coppolino drove to cage. A foul in the eight meter put Coppolino at the line, but Brodbeck came up big yet again with a key save to keep Rollins from earning the equalizer.

Rollins led the shot count, 29-25, but the Mocs held the edge in ground balls, 15-14, as well as off the draw, 13-12.

The Tars will look to earn their fourth trip to the NCAA postseason in five years, and will await news on their post-season plans on Selection Show Sunday, which is scheduled for May 8. For additional coverage on the Tars' post-season bid, fans can visit RollinsSports.com.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Rollins women's lacrosse team, fans can visit RollinsSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins Sports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

2016 Sunshine State Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament

All-Tournament Team

Kendall Kerge, Florida Southern (Most Outstanding Player)

Emily Santoli, Florida Southern

Ashley Robertson, Florida Southern

Rachael Griffith, Florida Southern

Dani Bursinger, Florida Southern

Tyler Thomas, Rollins

Kris Coppolino, Rollins

Malorie Olin, Rollins

Lindsay Van Beck, Rollins

Amanda Rom, Tampa

Caili Guilday, Tampa

Allie Modica, Florida Tech

Caroline Dunleavy, Florida Tech