Moccasins Barely Slither Past Spartans

LAKELAND, Fla. – The No. 1 Florida Southern College Moccasins slither past the No. 17  University of Tampa Spartans by a final score of 13-12.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: No. 17 Tampa Spartans 12, No. 1 Florida Southern Moccasins 13
Records: University of Tampa (8-4), Florida Southern College (11-0)
Location:  Barnett Athletic Complex | Lakeland, Fla.
All-time Series: The Moccasins leads the all-time series against the Spartans 7-0.
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Vimeo.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Half

• Florida Southern scored the first four goals of the game in the first eight minutes of play.
• Finally, with 20:23 left in the first half, Rachel Crawford ended the silence for the Spartans putting them on the board.
• The Mocs were quick to answer with another goal, leading 5-1.
• Senior Shannon Sweeney then scored for Tampa off a free position shot. FSC held the lead 5-2.
• With 12:19 remaining in the half, Natalie Carraway earned her first goal of the day.
• The Mocs then scored their final goal of the half with 7:14 remaining.
• To end the first half, sophomore Maggie Gladden netted a goal for Tampa.
• Heading into halftime, the No. 1 Florida Southern College Moccasins lead the University of Tampa Spartans 6-4.

2nd Half

• To start the second half, it was FSC who scored first with 29:00 minutes left on the clock. They continued to hold the lead 7-4.
• However, Natalie Carraway was quick to answer with her second goal of the game, the assist from Gladden.
• The Moccasins then cushioned their lead 9-5 logging two more goals, the first with 25:35 and the second with 24:54 left in the game.
• Down 9-5, Tampa Head Coach Kelly Gallagher called a timeout.
• After the timeout, UT's Claire Swanson then scored for the Spartans off a free position shot. The Spartans still trailed the Mocs 9-6.
• Florida Southern then scored with 22:24 left in the game.
• With 13:45 left to play, freshman Kayla Kosubinsky then recorded her first goal of the game.
• Shortly after, Swanson scored again for the Spartans, now only trailing by two.
• Kosubinsky then netted her second goal of the game, narrowing FSC's lead to one. The score FSC 10, UT 9.  
• Then in a three-minute span, Florida Southern scored three unanswered goals. The Moccasins once again cushioned their lead over the Spartans 13-9.
• However, the Spartans continued to fight, and sophomore Swanson then netted another goal for Tampa with 5:04 left in the game.
• Then with 3:57 left in the contest, Caroline Forester scored a goal for the Spartans, the assist from Amanda Rom. UT still trailing by two.
• Worried about the momentum Tampa was quickly building, Florida Southern was forced to call a timeout. The Moccasins still held the lead over the Spartans 13-11.
• After the timeout, Rachel Crawford then scored for UT with 1:24 left in the game. The score, FSC 13, Tampa 12.
• The No. 1 Florida Southern College Moccasins defeat the No. 17 University of Tampa Spartans 13-12.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Swanson led the Spartans in four stat categories. The sophomore had three goals, 4 draw control wins, four ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
• Crawford, Carraway, and Kosubinsky each had two goals for the Spartans.
• Gladden and Rom had the team's two assists.
• Alexa Scudillo logged three draw control wins for Tampa.
• Abby Coccagna and Caroline Forester each had three ground balls for Tampa.
• Freshman goalkeeper Bridget Sutter recorded 14 saves against the top-ranked Moccasins.

UP NEXT:
Tampa will host the Colorado State-Pueblo ThunderWolves on Saturday, March 31^st at 1:00 p.m.

TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP:
A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row.

RECEIVE TEXT AND EMAIL ALERTS:
UT also offers free messaging service for text and/or email, which sends alerts and press releases for Spartan teams. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.