LAKELAND, Fla. - The No. 11 Florida Southern women's lacrosse team raced to a 7-1 lead midway through the first half and posted a 20-13 victory against Gannon Tuesday afternoon.
Kimberly Neagle (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) gave Gannon a quick 1-0 advantage 2:49 into the contest with an unassisted goal. Florida Southern, ranked 11th in the latest Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Top 15 Poll, responded with seven consecutive goals. Megan Asper, Caitlin Chase and Maureen Cromer scored two goals each during the run.
Stevie Lombardoni (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) momentarily stopped the blitz with an unassisted goal at the 8:47 mark. It ended a Gannon scoring drought that lasted 18 minutes and 24 seconds.
Florida Southern bumped its lead up to 9-2, before the two squads split the last four goals of the first half. The Moccasins went to the intermission with an 11-4 advantage.
The home squad produced a running clock after grabbing a 17-7 lead with 16:15 to play, before Gannon rallied with six of the next seven goals.
Christie Valentine (Friendship, Md./Annapolis Area Christian) netted four of those scores with Lombardoni chipping in the other two. The third goal of the afternoon from Lombardoni cut the deficit to 18-13 with 2:34 to play. Florida Southern then scored consecutive goals during the final 44 seconds to account for the final 20-13 score.
Valentine led all scorers with a career-high six goals. Neagle added four goals and one assist. Lombardoni completed the hat trick group with three scores.
Kelsey Bright (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo) was Gannon's top feeder with a career-high five assists.
Tessa Mitchell (Rush, N.Y./Rush Henrietta) dished out two assists.
Gannon dropped to 0-2 during its Spring Break trip. Florida Southern remained undefeated at 2-0. The Lady Knights conclude their southern trip Saturday, March 8 at Young Harris (Ga.). Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
