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Box score

TAMPA, Fla. (November 2, 2010) - The fifth-seeded Rollins women's soccer team ended their Sunshine State Conference Tournament run in heartbreaking fashion as they dropped a 1-0 contest to the fourth-seeded University of Tampa Spartans on Tuesday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of tournament play.

Tampa (13-5) picked-up the victory over the Tars with a goal from freshman Carolyn Simon in the 74^th minute, after the forward found a pass from Courtney Peffley and found a shot on frame.  Despite having a stellar game with a total of eight saves, Rollins goalkeeper Michelle Dillingham was caught off guard by Simon's shot, which trickled over the goal line before the Rollins defense could make a team save.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate Coach Lucey and his players on their win and advancement to the semifinals of the conference tournament," said head coach Patrick Baker.  "Anyone that beats our team twice in a week is deserved of serious recognition.  I thought we would play better than we did today, and our performance this evening was disappointing.  Playing our third game in six days does not help, but we really have no excuses tonight - the better team won."

Tampa stifled the Tars on the shot count 18-6, and led in corner kicks 4-2.  Dillingham's eight saves on the evening marked a season high.  Both teams at the end of the showdown had committed four fouls.

"The game at times resembled the game from last Thursday, although we were fortunate not to be behind early in the first half," Baker added.  "We started the second half well, but they found a bit of magic when it counted and scored the vital goal with 16 minutes remaining. We were then forced to change our personnel and system in order to look for the equalizer, but just couldn't capitalize on any of our opportunities."

Rollins drops to a mark of 10-4-2 and awaits regional polls to see if their post-season bid could be extended into NCAA tournament play.  The final regular-season poll will be published November 3, and championship selections will take place November 8.  Selections will be announced at 7 p.m. Eastern time, Monday, November 8 via a webcast selection show on NCAA.com.

"We hope our season isn't over, and we will use the next six days to rest, train, and better ourselves in hopes of getting an NCAA Tournament bid next Monday," Baker concluded.  "The body of work from August to November is pretty good, and we hope to represent Rollins College in a great manner throughout the tournament.  We have an experienced group of players that have been through a lot throughout their careers - our seniors would love to be the first class to go to three straight NCAA Tournaments."

Fans can stay up-to-date on the latest news, information, and updates on the Rollins women's soccer team's post-season prospects by going to the Tars home on the web at RollinsSports.com.