FLORIDA SOUTHERN MEN'S LACROSSE HANDS TOP-RANKED LE MOYNE 1ST LOSS IN NEARLY 3 YEARS

LAKELAND, Fla., March 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 16th-ranked Florida Southern men's lacrosse team took down the defending national champions, and top-ranked, Le Moyne College Dolphins 12-10 in front of a capacity crowd at Berend Field inside the Barnett Athletic Complex on the campus of Florida Southern College Monday night.

Le Moyne's last loss came nearly three years ago in the 2019 NCAA National Championship semifinal on May 18, 2019 when they fell 15-14 in overtime to Merrimack College. The loss also snaps a 24-game regular season unbeaten streak for the Dolphins, who last lost all the way back on March 23, 2019 on the road at Merrimack.

The No. 16-ranked Moccasins used a balanced attack with nine different players finding the back of the net. Junior Jeff Atlas, freshman Matt Flammenspeck and fellow freshman Brydon Robichaud each scored two goals in the victory. Atlas finished with a team-best four points off of two goals and a team-high two assists. The Islip, N.Y. native fired off nine shots including four on goal.

"I think it came down to belief and trust with our team and our staff coming together over spring break through some adversity," Florida Southern College head coach Marty Ward said. "We stuck to our game plan and made some adjustments in mid game. Hats off to our assistant coaches for getting the guys ready to go on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The boys took care of business tonight. They played hard and we put together a 60-minute game."

The victory moves Florida Southern to 5-3 on the season with the Mocs three losses coming to top-15 ranked opponents. The Dolphins fell to 4-1 on the year.

Junior Maxwell Freestone stood tall in goal for the Mocs as he turned away 12 Le Moyne shots including four saves in the final quarter, holding the Dolphins scoreless over the final 12:37 of the game.

"It feels good," Freestone said. "Nothing happens unless we win at the 'X', win on offense, win on defense and win in the cage. It doesn't matter where we win as long as we all win. I mean this victory feels amazing."

About Florida Southern College

Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. It maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio; is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning; and boasts 30 NCAA Division II national championships. It is ranked among the top 10 Regional Universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report in its 2021 "Best Colleges" guide, and is included in The Princeton Review's 2021 "386 Best Colleges" guide, the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2021," and Forbes magazine's "America's Top Colleges." Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC was twice named "Most Beautiful Campus in the Nation" by The Princeton Review, and one of the nation's "Ten College Campuses with the Best Architecture" by Architectural Digest. Connect with Florida Southern College.

SOURCE Florida Southern College