WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Sailfish faced a tough battle against the Rollins Tars on Saturday, ultimately falling 13-6 at PBA Soccer/Lacrosse Field. Despite a late surge with four goals in the fourth quarter, the 'Fish couldn't overcome Rollins' consistent lead.
Cooper Porter stood out with a goal from three shots, adding an unassisted tally for PBA.
Jack Bryant was solid between the posts, making eight saves against 28 shots.
Tyler Degirolamo shone at the face-off circle, securing eight wins.
Gabe Eckhart found the net during a power play, keeping the Sailfish within striking distance.
The game kicked off with promise as PBA won the opening faceoff, leading to
Austin Nelson's goal at 13:32, marking a career milestone. The Sailfish held early momentum with successful clears and offensive pressure, but Rollins answered back with three straight goals. Nate Paulo's equalizer at 9:27 was quickly backed by goals from Zachary Blinkoff and Carder Ungerott, shifting the momentum to the Tars.
PBA's offense kept the pressure on but struggled to find the back of the net, ending the first quarter down 3-1.
The second quarter saw Eckhart capitalize on a man-up chance, closing the gap to one. A turnover forced by Degirolamo briefly swung momentum, but Rollins responded with a scoring run, including two goals from Logan McHugh, widening their lead. Despite a near-miss from
Braylon Baker, the 'Fish ended the half trailing 7-2.
Rollins maintained their offensive pressure in the third, as Nate Paulo scored early with help from Zachary Blinkoff. PBA's defense, led by
William Santella's four ground balls and
Cooper Porter's efforts, worked tirelessly, but the Tars' offense remained relentless. Paulo completed his hat trick in the third, extending Rollins' lead to 10-2.
In the final quarter, PBA fought back with
Patrick Law's goal, assisted by
Braylon Baker, and
Noah Zimmerman's strike from a
JB King assist, keeping the momentum alive. Late goals from Porter and
Eli Baffone, marking Baffone's first of the season, showed the 'Fish's resilience, but the clock ran out with a 13-6 victory for Rollins.
The Sailfish will be back in action next week as they travel to Tampa to face off against Colorado-Mesa and Montevallo in neutral site matchups.
