No. 3 Spartans Skin Mocs In Record Setting Performance

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 3 University of Tampa Spartans men's lacrosse team took on the Florida Southern College Mocs in a Sunshine State Conference showdown Friday night, at the Naimoli Family Athletic Complex and handed the Mocs 22-7 defeat.

Tampa turned in a record-setting performance as they tied team single-game highs for points (39), assists (17) and goal scored (22).

 The Spartan attack was very balanced as 12 different players found the back of the net. Leading the scoring efforts was freshman phenom Andrew Kew with six goals and one assist. Conor Whipple was in prime form tonight recording five goals and dishing out seven assists setting two school records for a single game with 12 points and seven assists, dethroning himself for the top spot in both categories. Oakville, Ont. native Mike Morris would notch two goals in the contest, including a flashy behind the back shot from 15 yards out. Also torching the twine for UT were Belton Ryan, Sam Murphy, Joey Lucchesi, Ryan Vella, A.J. Ferraro, Matt Bilak, Kenny Nelson, and Bo Garrison. 

Defensively, the Spartans brought the wood forcing nine caused turnovers and hauled in 46 groundballs as a unit. Turning impressive performances for Tampa were Bryan Uva, Charlie Cummins and Ryan Vella, the trio combined for nine groundballs and five caused turnovers.

At the Faceoff X, Tampa turned in a winning percentage of 68.7. Stepping up big was Sophomore Noah Menendez, who went 16 for 19 and scooped up nine groundballs in the contest. Also taking faceoff for Tampa were Ryan Podlovits, Jacob Kaiser and Alex Patton. 

Picking up the win in net for the Spartans was Junior A.J. Arnold, who improved to 5-0 on the campaign and posted a save percentage of 66.7 while notching six saves on the night.

Following the victory, Tampa advances to 9-1 and 2-0 in SSC play and extends their win streak to six games. Heading in the opposite direction Florida Southern falls to 8-6 and 1-1 ending their three game win-streak.

UT will return to action Wednesday, April 6 when the faceoff against SSC foe Florida Tech at the Naimoli Family Athletic Complex. Game time is set for 7 P.M., Live stats, as well as a Video broadcast will be available for fans to follow the action via TampaSpartans.com

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