Men’s Lacrosse Opens 2013 Season at Florida Southern

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's lacrosse team opens its 2013 campaign against Deep South Conference rival Florida Southern College on Friday night at 7 p.m., at Bryant Stadium in Lakeland.

These two teams split their meetings last year with Tampa winning 7-4 to open the season, but fell 11-7 in the DSC semi-finals to the Moccasins.

The Spartans are looking to build on their success from their inaugural season. They went 11-5, including 7-1 in conference play, and were the regular season DSC Champions. The Spartans have returned 17 players from last year's roster, including seven starters.

The Spartans are led by seniors Greg Griffo, A.J. DeSimone, Joseph Fiorucci, and sophomore Jonathan Franzese. In the two meetings against the Moccasins, DeSimone and Franzese combined for seven goals, while Fiorucci made 19 saves between the pipes.

Florida Southern is coming off a 10-6 season, and back-to-back trip to the DSC championship game. The Moccasins are led by juniors DJ Lubs and Kevin Naslonski, and sophomore Dane Sorensen, who led the Moccasins with 35 goals and 47 points last season.

The Spartans will open up their home schedule next Friday, February 15, when they host national power Limestone at 7 p.m. at Pepin Stadium. Live stats and a video webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.

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