DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 24, 2026) – No. 14 Rollins women's lacrosse mounted a late push but ultimately fell short against No. 5 Embry-Riddle on Tuesday afternoon, 18-15.
After a weather delay pushed back the start, Embry-Riddle struck first once play got underway. The two sides traded early possessions before
Holyn Trautwein found the equalizer to make it 1-1. The Eagles responded quickly to retake the lead, but
Molly Mendes answered with an unassisted goal on the ensuing possession.
Embry-Riddle then seized control late in the opening quarter, stringing together a five-goal run to build a 7-2 advantage heading into the second.
Trautwein opened the second quarter with her second goal of the day off a feed from
Delaney Hudson, but the Eagles continued to apply pressure, adding three more goals to extend the margin. Mendes broke up the run with her second goal, and
Chloe Pierini followed with a score to keep Rollins within reach. Embry-Riddle added another late tally, but Mendes connected with
Audrey Grace Mumford in the final seconds to send the Tars into halftime trailing 12-6.
The Eagles opened the second half with a goal, but Rollins responded as Mumford finished a pass from Hudson. Embry-Riddle added two more to push the lead back to seven before the Tars began to chip away. Mendes completed her hat trick to spark the run, and after Pierini forced a turnover and regained possession, Mendes struck again to cut the deficit to 15-9 heading into the fourth.
Rollins continued to battle in the final quarter. Goals from Pierini and
Kali Gagnon quickly brought the Tars closer, and Mendes added her fifth of the day to trim the margin to four. Hudson then found the back of the net to make it a three-goal game, and after Trautwein controlled the draw, Mumford completed her hat trick on a free-position opportunity to bring Rollins within two.
Embry-Riddle responded with a key goal to regain separation, but Mumford answered again on a woman-up opportunity to keep the pressure on. The Tars generated several late chances, but the Eagles held defensively to secure the 18-15 victory.
Rollins falls to 9-2 overall and 0-1 in Sunshine State Conference play, while Embry-Riddle improves to 7-1 (1-0 SSC). The Tars return to Winter Park on Saturday, March 28, hosting Saint Leo at 4 p.m. at Cahall-Sandspur Field.
