Men's Lacrosse Captures SSC Tournament Title

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 2 University of Tampa men's lacrosse team continued its dominant run on Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 6 Florida Tech, 17–8, at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex. With the victory, the Spartans improve to 18-1 on the season, using a high-powered offensive performance to pull away from a ranked opponent.

How It Happened

Tampa came out firing in the opening quarter, jumping out to a 5–1 lead behind early goals from Aaron Cho, Eric Burbank, and Tommy Ortega. Rex Kesselring added a pair of late goals in the frame, including one in the final seconds, to give the Spartans full control early.

Florida Tech responded in the second quarter with a brief push, scoring three times to cut into the deficit. However, Tampa answered with goals from Grant Green, Jackson Bashaw, and Ortega to maintain an 8–4 advantage heading into halftime.

The Spartans broke the game open in the third quarter, erupting for six goals. Green and Burbank each struck early, while Bashaw and Kesselring continued to add to the tally. Rafe Bradshaw and Burbank capped the scoring in the period, pushing Tampa's lead to 14–5 entering the fourth.

In the final frame, Tampa stayed in control, matching Florida Tech's three goals with three of their own. Bradshaw netted his second of the game, Burbank completed a four-goal performance, and Bashaw added his third to seal the 17–8 victory.

Spartan Performances

• Eric Burbank led the Spartans with a standout four-goal performance, while Rex Kesselring tallied six points (3 goals, 3 assists) to pace the offense.
• Jackson Bashaw added a hat trick and an assist, and Aaron Cho orchestrated the attack with five points (1 goal, 4 assists).
• Grant Green and Tommy Ortega each recorded two goals, contributing to a balanced scoring effort that saw multiple Spartans find the back of the net.
• Tampa controlled key areas of the game, outshooting Florida Tech 37–27 and holding a 32–27 edge in ground balls.
• The Spartans also won the faceoff battle, 16–12, helping dictate possession throughout the contest.
• In goal, Westin Schmidt earned the win, recording seven saves in nearly 57 minutes of action.

Up Next

The Spartans are off until NCAA postseason with the first round set to begin on May 6 and the second round on May 10.