Rollins Rallies Past Embry-Riddle

DAYTONA, Fla. (October 24, 2023) - Rollins squared off against Embry-Riddle in a non-SSC matchup on Tuesday, and took a 4-1 road victory back with them down I-4. The Tars now stand at 7-3-3 overall, while Embry-Riddle falls to 3-8-2.

After an exciting first minute that saw an unsuccessful scoring attempt from the Tars, the next thirty minutes were a slog as the two teams tried to feel each other out. Finally, in the 35th minute, Vance Phillips scored his first goal as a Tar thanks to an entry pass from Elvar Kristjansson. 

Just a few minutes before halftime, it was Kristjansson on the other side of a Tars' opportunity, as he scored his first of the year on an absolute rocket of a free kick to put Rollins up 2-0 at the break. The Eagles were out shot by the Tars 7-2 in the first half, including a 5-1 advantage for shots on goal. 

Rollins came out aggressively in the second half; the Tars tallied eight fouls and a yellow card in the first ten minutes. Still, the depth of the bench kept the players fresh and the result was a third goal, this time by Jorge Lameiras in the 69th minute. It was his first score in the last five games after scoring in each of the first eight of the year. 

Embry-Riddle was quick to answer when Tom Shepherd scored his second of the year in the 72nd minute. 

The scoring wrapped up with about nine minutes to go when Rory Doyle snuck one past Salvatore Della Valle on a pass from Rian Barrett to make the final of 4-1. 

Rollins took both matchups against Embry-Riddle this season, outscoring the Eagles 10-1. 

This was a tuneup for a monster matchup with Florida Tech on Friday night in Melbourne. The Panthers, who moved up to #8 in this week's coaches poll, are second-place in the SSC standings, one spot ahead of the Tars as the teams fight for playoff position.