WINTER PARK, Fla. (October 7, 2023) - Florida Southern controlled most of the game, and hung on late for a 2-1 win against Rollins on Saturday. The Tars now stand at 4-4-3 overall, and 2-2-1 in SSC play. Southern moves to 6-4-2 and 2-2-1 in the SSC.
The first have was a defensive slog as each team could only manage a single shot on goal in the first half hour of play. After a wave substitution in the 35th minute, Florida Southern scored on the very next possession when Rilee Hawegawa found Jasmin Adames for an open look.
The game would go into half 1-0 in favor of the Mocs.
Florida Southern tested
Lauren Mehos early in the second half,, but the freshman was able to stop both tries.
Rollins played the role of aggressor in the second half, but Southern made a concerted effort to keep almost all their players back on defense, limiting the quality looks for Rollins.
In the 79th minute, a turnover at midfield put the ball at the feet of Adames. She raced towards the Rollins goal with a trio of Tar defenders closing in on her. She found enough space to rip a shot from about 25 yards out, and blasted it past MEhos for her second goal of the game.
As Rollins continued to attack, they managed to avoid a shutout with a late conversion.
Jessie Wade put a couple of moves on two defenders, and set
Kayla Park up at the top of the box. The Tars' leading scorer knew what to do, launching a left-footed strike past the Mocs keeper to cut the lead in half.
Rollins had one more chance to tie the game in the final minute, but a shot from
Lexie Cooper ended up about a foot above the crossbar.
The goal for Park was her team-leading seventh of the year. Mehos had four saves in goal for the Tars.
Next up for Rollins is a home match against Saint Leo on October 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
