WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 12, 2026) – No. 14 Rollins rallied in the third quarter to defeat Grand Valley State 17-15, fueled by
Molly Mendes' four-goal night and a milestone performance from
Holyn Trautwein.
Ten Tars found the back of the cage in the contest, led by
Molly Mendes with four goals.
Delaney Hudson added a hat trick, while
Audrey Grace Mumford and
Katie Bell each recorded multi-goal performances.
Delanie Abere and
Sydney Nickel paced the offense with two assists apiece.
In the draw circle,
Holyn Trautwein reached a career milestone, collecting six draw controls to surpass 300 for her career. Defensively,
Ava Capasso,
Ashley Thurston,
Grace Barta, and
Chloe Pierini each forced turnovers to anchor the unit. In goal,
Angelina Vitale came off the bench to record four critical saves and earn the victory.
Grand Valley State jumped out to an early advantage with two quick goals. Rollins responded after drawing a woman-up opportunity, with Mendes converting off a pass from Abere.
Kali Gagnon followed with a free-position goal to tie the contest. The Lakers answered with a three-goal run to regain control, but Mendes struck again on a woman-up free-position chance to keep the Tars within reach. Grand Valley State extended the lead late in the quarter before Hudson slipped inside to score in the closing moments, cutting the deficit to 7-4 after one.
Rollins began to chip away in the second. Mendes completed her hat trick early in the frame to pull the Tars within two. After several scoreless possessions from both sides, Mendes struck again to make it a one-goal contest. Grand Valley State responded with back-to-back goals to push the margin back to three, but Bell connected with Gagnon late in the half to keep Rollins within striking distance at 10-7 heading into the break.
The Tars caught fire in the third quarter.
Hudson opened the half with a goal, and Abere added a woman-up strike off a Nickel assist to cut the deficit to one. After the Lakers briefly pushed the lead back to three, Rollins turned to Vitale in goal and began to seize momentum.
Fiona Rizzo sparked the rally with a goal to bring the Tars closer, and
Carsyn Christel added a free-position finish to keep the pressure on.
Grand Valley State answered once more to maintain its lead, but Rollins closed the quarter with a decisive run. Hudson scored unassisted before Mumford finished a feed from Nickel after Bell controlled the draw. Moments later,
Tess Hovivian converted on a woman-up opportunity off an Abere assist to tie the game. Bell secured another draw control on the ensuing possession, and
Gabby Yerardi buried the go-ahead goal to give Rollins its first lead of the night, 15-14, entering the fourth.
Bell added another early in the final frame to extend the advantage. Both teams tightened defensively as the clock wound down before Mumford delivered the final push with just under four minutes remaining, giving Rollins the cushion it needed. Grand Valley State added a late goal, but the Tars held on to secure the 17-15 victory.
Rollins improves to 8-1 on the season and returns to Cahall-Sandspur Field on Wednesday, March 18, hosting Saint Anselm at 4 p.m.
