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SSC Men: Rollins Upsets #14 Saint Leo 11-10 – Both Recaps!

  BOX SCORE   via Rollins press release  

UPSET! Tars Cage No. 14 Lions, 11-10, in Conference Clash

  Rollins Earns Key SSC Win over Saint Leo with Game-Winning Rip by Long WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 3, 2019) –  With just 15 seconds left on the clock, and the game tied at 10-10, Rollins sophomore middie Grant Long dodged around his defender and ripped a low shot into the bottom left from about five yards out, earning the game-winning goal against No. 14 Saint Leo at Cahall-Sandspur Field on Wednesday evening.  For just the fourth time in program history, the Rollins men’s lacrosse team has taken down their longest-standing rival, the Saint Leo Lions, ending a two game skid and advancing to 7-3, 1-2 in SSC play.  The loss drops the Lions, the reigning Division II National Runner’s Up, to a mark of 7-4 overall, and 2-1 in SSC action. Ryan Dunn led the Tars in goals on the evening with a hat trick, followed by two goals and an assist from Long.  Tommy Keanenetted a goal and an assist, while Greg TaicherKyle PorteraEric NeCampFinn Jent, and James Cowan scored one goal apiece.  Rounding out the Tars’ scoring efforts on the evening was Drew Miller with an assist.  Freshman Will Eckert had a huge game between the pipes, facing 24 shots from the Lions where he made 14 key saves while allowing only 10 goals.  Four of Eckert’s saves came in the fourth quarter when the Tars needed it most, while adding a team-best five ground balls on the night.  Evan Schimek earned four ground balls and caused two turnovers, while Roy Hansen led the team in caused turnovers with three of his own while adding a ground ball.  Also earning two caused turnovers on the night was freshman Luke Sawyer, who added two ground balls of his own.  At the faceoff-x, freshman Cam Reeves won 6-of-12 attempts, while Kyle Sudol won 5-of-12 while earning three ground balls. Saint Leo saw a team-high three goals from Philip Buque, followed by two goals each from Tyler Eames, CJ Stowell, and Daniel Sparks.  Charlie Kurtenbach earned two points with a goal and an assist, while Justin Taylor and Matt Shand notched on assist each.  Jordan Williams won 13-of-24 faceoff attempts, earning four ground balls in the process.  Leading the Lions in ground balls was goalie Thomas Tartarian with six as he faced 28 shots from the Tars.  Tartarian played a full 60 minutes in cage, earning 17 saves while allowing 11 goals on the night.  Behind Tartarian’s six ground balls, Ethan Ticehurst amassed five while adding a caused turnover.  In total, four Lions earned one caused turnover apiece on the evening, with Ticehurst, Kurtenbach, Erick Lee, and Tartarian each getting credit for the defensive stat. Saint Leo led the shot count, 39-32, and won more ground balls, 42-32.  The Tars won 11-of-24 faceoff attempts, relinquishing 13 to the Lions’ Jordan Williams.  Rollins’ defensive play was on fire, with the Tars earning 13 caused turnovers as a team compared to Saint Leo’s four. How it Happened: Saint Leo led the game after the first quarter, 2-1, but the Tars fought back in the second stanza, outscoring the Lions 3-1 to hold onto a 4-3 lead at the halftime break.  The third quarter saw Rollins outscore the Lions 4-1 to take an 8-4 lead entering into the final period, but Saint Leo clawed its way back into the game, scoring two straight to open the fourth quarter in order to pull to within two, 8-6, with 12:16 on the clock.  Dunn netted an unassisted goal at the 11:03 mark to extend Rollins’ lead back to three, 9-6, but Saint Leo again whittled away at the deficit, scoring two more to close the game to one, 9-8, with 10:03 to play.  Cowan halted the Lions’ scoring run with an unassisted goal fo his own at the 9:52 mark, but once again, Saint Leo netted back-to-back goals to knot the score at 10-10 with 7:11 to play.  Both teams traded blows back and forth as the game wound down, but Long’s goal with 15 seconds remaining on a low-to-low shot that found the back left corner put Rollins up by one.  The Lions won the ensuing faceoff, and called a quick timeout with seven ticks left on the clock.  Coming out of the timeout, the Lions looked to capitalize on one final possession, but an errant pass by Stowell sailed over the head of Kurtanbach, and as the ball rolled towards the opposite sideline the clock wound down to seal the 11-10 Rollins victory. Notes:
  • The win marks just the fourth in program history for the Tars over the Lions.  The last time Rollins defeated Saint Leo was on April 1, 2017, when the Tars earned a 6-4 win over then No. 19 SLU in Winter Park.
  • The Lions still lead the all-time series between the two programs, 13-4.
  • Rollins is now 2-6 overall when playing against the Lions at home.
  • All four of the Tars’ victories over the Lions have been upsets where an unranked Rollins team has taken down a ranked Saint Leo squad.
  • Greg Taicher is just three goals away from becoming the program’s all-time leader in goals scored.
  • With 64 career caused turnovers, Evan Schimek is 14 away from becoming the program’s all-time leader in caused turnovers in a career.  Schimek needs to surpass Nick Scannapieco `13, who concluded his career with 77 caused turnovers.
  The Series: Rollins vs Saint Leo (4-13)  

 

Date Opponent

 

Score

 

Attend

Site Notes
  3/2/2008 SAINT LEO

L

5-17

 

263

Winter Park, Fla.  
$ 4/11/2008 At Saint Leo

L

2-13

 

179

Saint Leo, Fla. Deep South Conference Contest
$ 4/8/2009 SAINT LEO

L

3-16

 

178

Winter Park, Fla. Deep South Conference Contest
  2/20/2010 SAINT LEO

L

5-14

 

77

Winter Park, Fla.  
$ 4/6/2010 At #9 Saint Leo

L

5-9

 

300

Saint Leo, Fla. Deep South Conference Contest
$ 2/19/2011 #12 SAINT LEO

L

13-21

 

213

Winter Park, Fla. Deep South Conference Contest
  4/12/2011 At Saint Leo

L

7-16

 

271

Saint Leo, Fla. Deep South Conference Tournament First Round
$ 2/29/2012 At Saint Leo

L

10-11

OT

273

Saint Leo, Fla. Deep South Conference Contest
$ 2/28/2013 SAINT LEO

L

9-14

 

290

Winter Park, Fla. Deep South Conference Contest
* 4/15/2014 At Saint Leo

L

7-11

 

337

Saint Leo, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Contest
* 4/11/2015 SAINT LEO

L

9-12

 

211

Winter Park, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Contest
* 3/26/2016 At #15 Saint Leo

W

12-10

 

261

Saint Leo, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Contest – Rollins’ first win in program history against Saint Leo
  4/29/2016 Vs. #19 Saint Leo

W

10-9

OT

311

Tampa, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Tournament Semifinals – Saint Leo ranked #19
* 4/1/2017 #19 SAINT LEO

W

6-4

 

316

Winter Park, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Contest
* 4/4/2018 At #6 Saint Leo

L

10-11

 

327

Saint Leo, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Contest
  4/26/2018 At #5 Saint Leo

L

6-9

 

327

Saint Leo, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Tournament Semifinals
* 4/03/2019 #14 SAINT LEO

W

11-10

 

721

Winter Park, Fla. Sunshine State Conference Contest
  THE BREAKDOWN: Overall: 4-13 $ Deep South Conference: 0-6 DSC Tournament: 0-1 Sunshine State Conference: 3-3 SSC Tournament: 1-1 Home: 2-6 Away: 1-7 Neutral: 1-0 NEXT: The Rollins men’s lacrosse team returns to action on Saturday, April 6, when they host Florida Southern at Cahall-Sandspur Field.  Game time against the Moccasins is set for 1:00 pm.  Fans who are unable to attend the contest can follow all of the action live on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSportsLive.com, as well as with live stats on TarsStats.com. For the latest news, updates, and information on the Rollins men’s lacrosse team, fans can visit RollinsSports.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins Sports on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.   *****   via Saint Leo press release  

Tatarian’s Season-High 17 Stops Not Enough at Rollins; #14 Lions Fall to Tars

  WINTER PARK, Fla. – The No. 14 Saint Leo men’s lacrosse team’s comeback efforts fell short at Rollins in an 11-10 Sunshine State Conference decision on Wednesday. Thomas Tatarian’s work in the net kept the game tight but the Tars managed to escape the Lions’ fourth-quarter jolt off a 17-second game-winner. The loss ends a three-game winning streak for the Green and Gold and moves their overall record to 7-4, 2-1 in the SSC. The early 3-1 Saint Leo lead didn’t last as Rollins’ three-straight goals claimed a 4-3 lead at the half. The Tars extended their offensive run to six-straight in the third, 7-3. CJ Stowell ended the Tars streak with an unassisted goal to bring the game back down to a three-goal difference. The Tars answered the Lions’ goal to regain a four-goal gap at 8-4 to enter the fourth quarter. Philip Buque earned the man-up goal to open the fourth quarter. Tyler Eames converted a loose rebound into another Saint Leo goal, 8-6. Rollins struck again as the gap continued to teeter. Buque tallied a hat-trick with a goal assisted by Justin TaylorCJ Stowell’s sling found the back of the net for a 9-8 ball game. Daniel Sparks’ shot ricocheted off the crossbar and landed in Eames’ stick who scored his second goal off a quick rebound to tie the game at ten with 7:11 left on the clock. With the clock winding down, Rollins earned the clear, called a timeout, and executed the game-winner scored by Grant Long.   Stat Highlights   Beyond the Boxscore   Up Next The No. 14 Saint Leo Lions prepare to faceoff against SSC rival Tampa on Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m. at University Turf Stadium. For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men’s lacrosse, be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube.  

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