Rollins Advances to NCAA Tournament Semifinals After Toppling Florida Southern, 12-11
TAMPA, Fla. (May 10, 2019) – Lily Rizk matched a career high with four goals, earning the game-winner in overtime to help propel the seventh-ranked Tars to a 12-11 victory over No. 6 Florida Southern on Friday afternoon in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The victory marks the third time in program history that the Rollins women's lacrosse team advances to the next round of the tournament, and is the Tars' first victory over Florida Southern in NCAA Tournament action.
With the win, third-seeded Rollins climbs to a record of 15-2 on the season, while the second-seeded Mocs drop to 16-5 and do not advance in the tournament for the first time since 2016.
Rizk scored the game-winner with 1:49 remaining in overtime, with Kallie German earning the assist to close out the game. Rizk's four goals mark a game high, with German matching in overall points with two goals and two assists. Rachel Valocchi netted two goals and added an assist for three points, while Nikki Stumpf added two goals of her own. Both Hannah Ashton and Hannah Coakley scored one goal apiece to close out the Tars' scoring efforts on the afternoon. Sophie Stavisky, Gabby Tanner, Haley Brock, and Genia Sprinkle led the team with two ground balls apiece, while Lindsay Van Beck earned a game high six draw controls. Haley Brock led the team in caused turnovers with two. In goal, Tanner played a full game, earning 11 saves while allowing 11 goals as she faced a total of 22 shots from the Mocs in 64:11 minutes of action.
Florida Southern saw a hat trick from both Brenna Smith and Grace Glinecki, while Aubriana Benedetto led the team in overall points with four as she netted two goals and two assists. Riley Bnnatyne added two goals and one assist for a three point outing, while Marina Jozokos added a goal of her own. Earning one assist on the afternoon was Ashley Norberg to close out Florida Southern's scoring efforts for the day. Alanna Zambetti, Jozokos, Kelsey O'Connor, and Sam Keesey won a team best three ground balls apiece, while Dani Bursinger won a team high four draw controls. Leading the Mocs in cause turnovers was Sara Tomasello with three on the day. Freshman Patricia Werker started the contest in goal, facing 10 shots where she earned one save and allowed nine goals in 30 minutes of action. Zambetti closed out the game in cage, earning six saves while allowing three goals as she faced nine shots from the Tars.
How it Happened:
Florida Southern jumped out to a two goal lead with 27:01 on the clock in the first half, but the Tars answered back with back-to-back goals by Stumpf and Ashton to even the score at 2-2 with 24:46 on the board. The Mocs the scored three straight to pull ahead 5-2 with 13:17 left in the half, but the Tars closed out the period scoring seven straight to take a 9-5 lead at the break. The Tars netted their eighth-straight to extend their advantage to 10-5 with 21:15 on the board in the second half. After a 25 minute drought, the Mocs finally found the back of the net as Bannatyne scored on a free position shot, opening up a four goal run that pulled the Mocs back to within one, 10-9 with 16:59 on the clock. Rizk found the back of the net to extend the Tars' lead to 11-9 with 16:20 left, but the Mocs answered back at the 15:19 mark to pull back to within one, 11-10. Both teams remained scoreless for 14 minutes, but a late goal by the Mocs with 54 seconds to go tied the game at 11-11, sending the match-up into overtime. Both teams were unable to score in the first three minutes of overtime, and each fired off a shot on goal, with both Tanner and Zambetti earning a save in OT. Rollins was finally able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity with 1:49 remaining, as German fed a pass to Rizk, who fired off a shot from the eight meter that slipped past Zambetti for the game-winner.
Notes:
- In the all-time series between Rollins and Florida Southern, the Tars now trail 6-8.
- Rollins and the Mocs are now 1-1 against each other in the NCAA Tournament
- When playing the Mocs at a neutral site location, Rollins leads the series, 1-0.
- This marks the third time in program history the Tars have advanced past their first game in the NCAA Tournament.
- Rollins In the NCAA Tournament:
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Date
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Opponent
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Score
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Attend
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Site
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Notes
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+
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5/17/2012
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Vs. #7 West Chester
|
L
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10-19
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100
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Louisville, Ky.
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NCAA DII Tournament Semifinals | Rollins ranked No. 3
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+
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5/11/2013
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Vs. #6 Lock Haven
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W
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11-10
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763
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Winter Park, Fla.
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NCAA DII Tournament Quarterfinals | Rollins ranked No. 3
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+
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5/18/2013
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Vs. #2 Limestone
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L
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10-11
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2OT
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1480
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Owings Mills, Md.
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NCAA DII Tournament Semifinals | Rollins ranked No. 3
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+
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5/9/2015
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Vs. #1 Lock Haven
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L
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3-12
|
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503
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Lock Haven, Pa.
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NCAA DII Tournament Quarterfinals | Rollins ranked No. 7
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+
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5/13/2016
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Vs. #8 West Chester
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W
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9-8
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255
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Lakeland, Fla.
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NCAA DII Tournament First Round | Rollins ranked No. 7
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+
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5/14/2016
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At #3 Florida Southern
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L
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5-8
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455
|
Lakeland, Fla.
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NCAA DII Tournament Quarterfinals | Rollins ranked No. 7
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- Friday's game against the Moccasins marked the second time the two teams have met in an NCAA Tournament setting. The first time the two teams squared off in a national tourney contest was on May 14, 2016, when the then-seventh-ranked Tars took on then-No. 3 Florida Southern in the Quarterfinals. After a hard-fought contest, the Mocs came out on top, 8-5, and went on to win the 2016 DII National Championship.
All-Time Series History:
Rollins vs Florida Southern (6-8)
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Date
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Opponent
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Score
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Attend
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Site
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Notes
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|
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4/11/2012
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At #15 Florida Southern
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W
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16-10
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|
145
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Lakeland, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 3
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|
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4/3/2013
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At #11 Florida Southern
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W
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12-10
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273
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Lakeland, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 4
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4/28/2013
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#10 FLORIDA SOUTHERN
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W
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18-12
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236
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Winter Park, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 3
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|
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4/25/2014
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#6 FLORIDA SOUTHERN
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L
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13-16
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234
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Winter Park, Fla.
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Rollins unranked
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*
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3/27/15
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At #5 Florida Southern
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L
|
8-15
|
|
100
|
Lakeland, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 9
|
|
%
|
4/26/2015
|
At #5 Florida Southern
|
W
|
12-10
|
OT
|
173
|
Lakeland, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 11 – Tars win inaugural SSC Tournament Championship
|
|
*
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4/21/2016
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#6 FLORIDA SOUTHERN
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L
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6-15
|
|
514
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Winter Park, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 3
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|
%
|
5/1/2016
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At #3 Florida Southern
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L
|
11-12
|
|
335
|
Lakeland, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 6
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|
+
|
5/14/2016
|
At #3 Florida Southern
|
L
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5-8
|
|
455
|
Lakeland, Fla.
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Rollins ranked No. 7 – Tars wrap up NCAA Tournament appearance in Quarterfinals
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|
*
|
4/11/2017
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At #4 Florida Southern
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L
|
5-18
|
|
325
|
Lakeland, Fla.
|
Rollins ranked No. 5
|
|
*
|
4/4/2018
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#1 FLORIDA SOUTHERN
|
W
|
11-10
|
|
467
|
Winter Park, Fla.
|
Rollins ranked No. 8
|
|
%
|
4/27/2018
|
At #4 Florida Southern
|
L
|
6-23
|
|
236
|
Lakeland, Fla.
|
Rollins ranked No. 6 – Tars bounced out of SSC Tournament in the Semifinals
|
|
*
|
4/3/2019
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At #8 Florida Southern
|
L
|
11-16
|
|
201
|
Lakeland, Fla.
|
Rollins ranked No. 2
|
|
+
|
5/10/2019
|
Vs. #6 Florida Southern
|
W
|
12-11
|
OT
|
102
|
Tampa, Fla.
|
Rollins ranked No. 7. NCAA DII Tournament First Round. With the win, Rollins advances to the NCAA DII Tournament Semifinals.
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Overall: 6-8
* Conference: 1-4
% SSC Tournament: 1-2
+ NCAA Tournament: 1-1
Home: 2-2
Away: 3-6
Neutral: 1-0
NEXT:
The Tars return to action on Sunday, May 12, when they take on the No. 4 Seed and 10th-ranked Queens University of Charlotte Royals in the NCAA Division II Tournament Quarterfinal round. Game time against the Royals is slated for noon at the Naimoli Athletic Complex on the campus of the University of Tampa. Links to live coverage are available on 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.
