Red Hot Tars Advance to SSC Championship

WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 14, 2024) - Men's soccer did not let an early goal deter them, and managed to come back for a 2-1 win over seventh-seed Barry on Thursday. Rollins, winners of six straight, moves to 10-5-1 on the season. Barry's season comes to an end at 6-9-3.

Barry jumped out to the early lead with a goal from Juan Simoniello off a perfect feed from Scott Neil and Oier Calvillo. 

Rollins turned on the offensive aggression, but their next three shots were saved by Rafael Furlani. Finally, in the 29th minute, the Tars got on the board. Kaden Foreman found himself covered on the sideline, so he made a seemingly simple pass to Pedro Lameiras. The junior decided to let one rip from about 25 yards, and curled into the top corner of the goal to tie the game. 

Tensions began to rise near the end of the half as four yellow cards were handed out, with two going to each team. 

It did not take long into the second half for Rollins to take control of the game. Once again, it was Foreman controlling play, working his way towards the box. When the defense crashed, he was able to slip a pass to Mikkel Fodstad, who hammered the ball home to put Rollins up 2-1. 

No more scoring would happen in the match, though it wasn't for lack of trying. By the end of the game, Rollins had taken twenty shots, with ten on goal. Barry was also aggressive in their attempted comeback, but they were stymied with tremendous play from the Rollins defense.

A special shout out goes to junior Jordan Proulx who was an absolute menace from his winger position. His hounding defense led to countless tipped balls, steals, and throw ins. 

Barry had a corner kick with under a minute to go, and a wild scrum ensued in the box as time ticked away. Eventually, Rollins was awarded possession, and that sent the Barry players and coaches over the top. A group of them, including the head coach, berated the refs immediately after the horn, leading to a pair of red cards for the Bucs. 

Rollins moves on to play in the SSC championship on Sunday, November 17 against #1 seed Lynn, who defeated Tampa on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm from Boca Raton.