Tampa Dominates Embry-Riddle on the Road

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No. 4 University of Tampa continued its dominant stretch on Saturday afternoon, defeating Embry-Riddle 16-6 at ERAU Lacrosse Field. The Spartans improved to 11-1 overall and 2-0 in Sunshine State Conference play behind a balanced offensive attack and commanding possession game.

How It Happened
Tampa wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to an early lead in the first quarter. Rex Kesselring opened the scoring, followed by Grant Green and Tommy Ortega to give the Spartans a quick 3-0 advantage. After Embry-Riddle got on the board, Aaron Cho, Eric Burbank, and Zach Johnson each added goals to cap a six-goal opening frame and give Tampa a 6-2 lead.

The Spartans continued to apply pressure in the second quarter as Jackson Bashaw scored early, and Finnian Kelly added another off a Bashaw assist. Bashaw later netted his second goal of the period to extend Tampa's lead to 9-4 heading into halftime.

Out of the break, Tampa maintained control on both ends of the field. Ortega converted on a man-up opportunity before Burbank and Cho added back-to-back goals to push the lead to 12-5 by the end of the third quarter.

In the final frame, the Spartans pulled away for good. Kesselring struck again early, followed by a Justin Conly finish off his assist. Cho completed his hat trick, and Ethan Tunucci capped the scoring late as Tampa secured the 16-6 victory.

Spartan Performances

• Cho led the Spartans with a hat trick, scoring three goals on the day, while Kesselring added two goals and one assist.
• Burbank and Bashaw each contributed three-point performances, with Burbank recording two goals and an assist and Bashaw totaling two goals and two assists.
• Ortega also added a multi-goal effort with two scores, while Green, Johnson, Kelly, Conly, and Tunucci each found the back of the net.
• At the faceoff X, Tampa dominated possession, winning 21 of 26 draws, led by MP Thomas (12 wins) and Ryan Thomas (7 wins).
• The Spartans controlled the ground ball battle with a 39-14 advantage while outshooting Embry-Riddle 50-24.
• Defensively, Tampa held the Eagles to just six goals and forced 11 turnovers.
• In goal, Westin Schmidt earned the win with eight saves across nearly 56 minutes of action.

Up Next

Tampa will look to continue its strong start in conference play as the Spartans stay on the road to face PBA on April 1 at 6:00 p.m.