Tars Upend Top Seeded Sailfish, Headed to SSC Championship

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (November 13, 2025) - Men's soccer used two goals in the second half to earn a hard-fought win against #1 seed (and #2 nationally-ranked) Palm Beach Atlantic in the semifinals of the SSC Tournament. The win moves the Tars to 10-3-5 on the year and places them in the SSC Championship game on Sunday. The Sailfish drop to 13-2-2 overall.

The last time these two teams met on November 1, Rollins held a 1-0 lead with 90 seconds to play before Palm Beach Atlantic came back to tie the game. This time, it was the Tars overcoming an early deficit before securing a massive win. 

The first thirty minutes of the match were played tough, but did not do much to move the box score. Things soon changed when it looked like Rollins was in business as Justin Nelson beat keeper Flavio Giannini to a loose ball. Nelson passed the ball into the box to an open Yousef Shakweer, but by the time he was able to shoot, the Sailfish defense had collapsed on him, spoiling the attempt. 

On the ensuing possession, Gianini boomed a kick beyond midfield. After a big bounce, Tin Vastic was able to chase the ball down and flip the ball over the charging Kilian Vallant to put Palm Beach Atlantic up 1-0, which was the halftime score. 

In the 57th minute, Vastic had a great look at the net, but Vallant was up to the task this time, stopping his brace. 

Minutes later, Finlay Prain put a bullet on target, but Gianini made a sprawling save, leading to a corner kick. On the ensuing play, Kaden Foreman sent the ball into the box where his fellow senior Hayden Judge outjumped the pack and headed the ball past the frozen Sailfish defense to tie the game. 

Shortly after, the Tars were at it again. Following a pair of fouls on the Sailfish, the Tars were able to send a free kick well down the left side. Justin Nelson used his world-class speed to track the ball down, work past his defender to the baseline, and whistle a smooth pass into the box. Before the defense had time to change direction and react, Zico Groenveld stepped up and smashed the ball into the right corner, giving the Tars a 2-1 lead. 

Palm Beach Atlantic had a couple of chances late in the game to equalize, but the stout Rollins backline rejected each and every attempt. The Sailfish corner kick in the 89th minute saw the ball stay in the box for an extremely long time, but the handful of deflections eventually led the ball out of play. With under 15 seconds to play, Matteo Colombo had a breakaway, but Vallant met him in the box and forced his attempt well off target, sealing the win. 

Rollins outshot Palm Beach Atlantic 14-11, but the Sailfish had the advantage in shots on goal, 5-4. Vallant was brilliant in goal, stopping four of five shots that headed his way. The game was exactly what one might expect in a playoff atmosphere as 29 fouls were called, along with five yellow cards. 

This was the first time all season that Palm Beach Atlantic allowed more than one goal in a game. This is also the third time in 2025 that Rollins has defeated a Top 6 nationally ranked team (#6 Tampa on October 1, #1 Lynn on October 18). 

The win places Rollins in the SSC Championship game on Sunday. Similar to 2024, they will head to Boca Raton to face the Lynn Fighting Knights, who defeated Florida Tech 5-4 in seven rounds of penalty kicks earlier in the night. Earlier this season, Rollins defeated Lynn 4-3, handing the Knights their first loss in more than two seasons. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm.