Mocs Can't Break Through the Walling at the Sandlot

LAKELAND, Fla. – The University of Tampa Spartans prevail over the Florida Southern College Mocs to secure the program's third Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship title. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first quarter saw back-and-forth action between the two schools as each wanted to make a statement from the first draw control. While Florida Southern got on the scoreboard first, Tampa stayed patient and found an opening in the Mocs' defense as Sophi Wrisk moved into the inside and scored the equalizer. Tied at 1-1, the Spartans would win the new possession and move the ball quickly down the field. Allie Peebles would find Peyton Howell on the right side of the goal, who would make her move and successfully find the back of the net to give Tampa the lead for the first time in the match. The Spartans maintained this lead for the majority of the quarter as Alex Walling saved several of the Mocs' attempts to knot the score. However, in the final seconds of the period, Florida Southern managed to find what they were looking for and tied the score up at 2-2. Two minutes into the second period, Howell nabbed her second goal of the day as she made a quick move from behind the net to slot the ball past the Mocs' goalie. Florida Southern would respond as Kolby Cohen scored back-to-back goals to recapture the lead. The second quarter saw the momentum slowly shift into the Mocs' favor as they scored two more goals to extend their lead to 6-3. But, this did not deter the energy and fight Tampa had as Cece Colombo would find her sister Gracie Colombo, who would drive her way into the inside to rip a shot into the back of the net before the end of the first half.  

While Florida Southern secured a goal in the beginning minutes of the second half, Tampa would answer back as Cece Colombo dumped the ball to Sarah Hinkle on the inside, who quickly got a shot off and found the back of the net to trail by two. Less than a minute later, the Mocs would tack on another goal to the scoreboard. Leading 8-5, Florida Southern would seize another scoring opportunity to extend their lead. However, Tampa was not going to give up and at the 7:39 mark, Wrisk would score a man-up goal as she ripped a long shot to find the right side of the net. A few minutes later, Gracie Colombo would find Allie Peebles in open space, who would quickly turn and score her first goal of the game after firing a shot into the top right corner. As the third quarter ended, Tampa knew they had to come out strong and heavy into the fourth period, and that they did. Trailing by two, Gracie Colombo would make her way past several defenders to score her second goal of the day. At the 8:12 mark, Howell passed the ball off to Wrisk, who was making her way toward the net and scored a close-up shot to equalize the score at 9-9. A minute later, Cece Colombo would take a chance and rip a long shot that would become the winning goal for the Spartans. With time still on the game clock, Tampa locked down defensively and fended off any Florida Southern attempts. The Mocs would end up turning over the ball in the last few seconds of the match, giving Tampa not only possession of the ball but insurance that they secured the 2024 SSC Tournament Championship trophy. 

Stat of the Game – Sophi Wrisk stands alone as the only Spartan in the game to achieve a hat trick, notably with two of the goals serving as equalizers.

TAMPA POST-GAME NOTES 

• The Spartans secure the program's third SSC Tournament Championship title. 
• Peyton Howell and Alex Walling led all Tampa players in groundballs (4). 
• UT won the draw control battle, 12-9.
• Sophi Wrisk led the Spartans in goals (3). 
• Tampa caused 7 turnovers and won 27 groundballs.  

UP NEXT – Tampa travels back home to start preparations for the Division II NCAA Tournament.