LAKELAND, Fla. – For the second time this season, the Embry-Riddle men's lacrosse team upset a top-20 team, this time as the Eagles (6-3, 2-0 SSC) broke the No. 14 Florida Southern Mocassins (7-4, 1-2 SSC) in an overtime thriller, 15-14.
 
The win not only marks the second top-20 win this season, but the best overall win in program history to this point, and the Eagles' first-ever win over Florida Southern. Head coach John Jez has the Eagles at 6-3, two wins off the program record for wins in a season, and 2-0 in conference play, officially the best in-conference season an Eagle team has had.
 
Pete Abbes, last week named to the USILA Team of the Week, registered the game winner in the overtime frame. Abbes was one of three Eagles with a hat trick, joining Isaiah Hines (5g, 3a) and Coleman Jacobs (4g, 2a) as the leading goal scorers. Christian Hofer netted two goals and a pair of assists, while Marcus Needham rounded out the scoring with a goal of his own.
 
In net, Reid Kerr stood strong against the top-15 conference foes for just about 40 minutes, tallying six saves to 10 goals against. Carter Groezinger came on for 22:33 in the second half to earn the decision, saving five shots to just four goals allowed.
 
Jacobs dented the scoreboard first for both teams, clocking an unassisted goal at 13:15 to open things up early. FSC added an evener just under a minute later, but Needham dialed in a shot from Hines to put the Eagles up 2-1.
 
But FSC reeled off three goals in a row to end the first period up, 4-2. From there, though the Eagles took charge down the stretch in the opening half. ERAU won the second period outright, 6-1 en route to an 8-5 halftime lead. After Hofer got the Eagles back on the board at 12:31, the Mocs added one more at 11:11 extend their lead to 5-3. But two goals apiece from Abbes and Hines, the latter of whom connected on a man-up situation, along with a goal from Jacobs with just 39 ticks left in the half, gave the Eagles their 8-5 lead at the break.
 
The Mocs rebounded, however, and took the third period in a flash, 7-1, including four goals in a two-minute span during that time. After their final goal of the frame at 1:07 left in the third, the Mocs were up seemingly handily, 12-9.
 
But Hines, after representing the only third-period goal for ERAU, struck again to open the fourth period at 12:55 to climb back in. The two sides traded the next few goals over a five minute stretch, including one from Hofer and one more from Hines. But then Jacobs and the Eagles took charge at the end, never giving up. 
 
Jacobs tallied two unassisted goals (4:51 and 2:57) which tied things up at 14-14. Both teams had chances down the stretch in the fourth, but no one connected, sending it to an overtime frame. With just under two minutes left in the sudden death period, Abbes connected on the game winner, his 24 goal this season, to give the Eagles the victory in style.