WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 30, 2025) - Men's soccer played arguably their best game of the season on the biggest stage, defeating the #8 seed Flagler Saints 2-0 to advance in the 2025 NCAA DII Championship. The Tars now stand at 12-4-5 on the season, while the Saints wrap up at 14-3-6.
Flagler tested the Rollins defense early, getting a decent look in the second minute, but
Kilian Vallant was able to stop the shot.
From there, it was basically all Rollins. After controlling possession for the next few minutes, the Tars were able to breakthrough.
Michel Hoelscher displayed impeccable defense, stealing the ball from a Saint and moving upfield. He delivered a gorgeous pass about 25 yards ahead that bent directly to the feet of a streaking
Finlay Prain. The sophomore collected and then blasted a laser beam past Ryan Rivas for an early lead.
While the score remained the same for the rest of the half, Rollins was able to clearly establish dominance on both sides of the pitch. The Saints managed just one more shot in the half while the Tars controlled the pace of play.
The script remained the same for much of the second half. While there were only a handful of fouls called, the physical play from both sides was impressive. Both goalies were tested, but were up to the challenge.
That is until the Tars added some insurance in the 79th minute. After a failed attack, Rollins was dropping back on defense.
Justin Nelson made a nice read on a pass, and intercepted. He then showed some fancy footwork to get around a pair of defenders, and launched a rocket into the far corner of the net from a tough angle to make it a 2-0 game.
From there, Rollins played stout defense and hung on for the huge win.
It was the first NCAA tournament game hosted by Rollins since 2015. The win also moves the Tars into the Round of Eight for the first time since 2022.
In the other game of the bracket, #6 Mississippi College defeated #2 Lynn 3-1. That makes Rollins the highest remaining seed, so they will host the Choctaws in Winter Park on Saturday, December 6 at noon with a trip to the National Semifinals on the line.
