Spartans Set To Open SSC Play At Home Against Rollins

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 14 University of Tampa men's lacrosse team will host the Rollins College Tars to open Sunshine State Conference play. 

The Matchup: No. 14 University of Tampa (6-3) vs. Rollins College (5-4)

Date/Time: Saturday, March 25 at 8 p.m. 

Last Time Out: The Spartans out matched the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks by a score of 15-7. Sophmore, Andrew Kew led the team in points with six, five goals and one assist. Specialist, Sam Watts went 17-25 on face-offs with two goals. A.J. Ferraro played a key role for the offense with five ground balls. Seniors, Charlie Cummins and Marty Heyn held off the Maverick offense with cuased turnovers each. 

About the Spartans: The Spartans finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 15-3. After falling short in the semifinal, UT is hungry for another national championship title run. 

This season the Spartans are led offensively by attackers Kew and Whipple with 45 and 17 goals respectively. Whipple, a 2016 USILA second team All-American and 2016 Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, is also leading the team in assists with 20 this season. The University of Tampa Spartans also return seniors Jake Schmidt and Marty Heyn. Schmidt was a 2016 USILA third team All-American, and Heyn was a 2016 USILA honorable mention. 

About the Tars:  The Tars currently stand with an overall record of 5-4. Offensively, Justin Diamond and Greg Taicher have 21 and 20 goals respectively. Rollins College defense is led by Lucas Brush with twelve caused turnovers and 28 ground balls. Their main face-off man is Trey Laporta with a win percentage of .525 with 20 groundballs. 

Rankings: The University of Tampa men's lacrosse team was selected as the No. 4 squad in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Nike Preseason Coaches Poll. The Spartans hauled in 297 points after reaching the 2016 NCAA Division II Semifinals just a season ago. Taking the top spot is reigning national champions LeMoyne, as the Dolphins received all 18 first place votes. Runner up Limestone sits No. 2 while Merrimack garnered 322 points to pick up the No. 3 ranking. However, after losing on February 18, to the No. 17 Lindenwood Lions, and on February 25, to the No. 2 Limestone Saints, No.11 Belmont Abbey the Spartans have dropped to No. 14.   

Series History:   Tampa currently leads the series 7-0.

Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

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