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SSC Men: Saint Leo in OT Over FSC 12-11 – Both School’s Recaps

  via the school’s press releases  

Men’s Lacrosse Prevails in Overtime Thriller at Florida Southern

  BOX SCORE LAKELAND, Fla. – The Saint Leo men’s lacrosse returned to its winning ways at Florida Southern Thursday afternoon but not without some good old fashion overtime drama. Saint Leo won the faceoff but was immediately caused to turn it over. The Mocs’ shot ricocheted off the pipe, rebounding all way to near the middle of the field. Jack Spera picked it up and connected with Justin Williams who set up Guy Bistrow’s game-winner in a 12-11 overtime decision. Luckoski had a tremendous day protecting the Lions’ net. The senior goalkeeper collected 12 saves in 60 minutes of work. Tyler Eames paced the Saint Leo offense with five points, scoring four and assisting one. The junior attacker doubled his season goal count to eight, currently sitting at eight, while he leads the team with 13 points. Bistrow put away a pair of goals and picked up three ground balls. Will Toman had a standout defensive day picking up a team-high five ground balls and causing a turnover. Records Florida Southern: 1-3, 1-2 SSC Saint Leo: 2-2, 2-1 SSC How it Happened The Lions’ opening goal was answered and raised by one by the Mocs. The Green and Gold recaptured the lead dishing out two goals to close the first, 3-2. Eames scored the first and third goals for Saint Leo while assisting Landon Spangenberg’s goal in between his own. The script flipped early in the second. Florida Southern created its’ own momentum scoring three consecutive goals for a two-goal lead, 5-3. Gino Riforgiato put a halt to the host’s streak. The junior midfielder’s sling slipped through the five-hole to find the back of the net. Tyler Eames set up Evan Wray who tallied the equalizer in a turnaround man-up goal from in front of the cage.  Guy Bistrow reclaimed the lead for the Lions two minutes later via another man-up situation. Bistrow was assisted by the season leading play maker, Matt Shand. The scoreboard went untouched at 6-5 for five minutes. Saint Leo brought the ball to the left ally and called a timeout. Devin Sparks came out of the break and executed the scheme perfectly with an immediate goal to extend the gap to two. The Lions’ four goal run left 2:16 left in the first half. Unfortunately, it was just enough time for the Mocs to generate a pair of goals to level the game at seven apiece for the halftime break. Nine minutes came and went in the third quarter without a goal registered by either team. Instead, the ball moved from end to end seeing six turnovers, leaving both programs frustrated. Florida Southern strung together a three-goal run to take the quarter 3-0, moving the score to 10-7 in the favor of the Mocs. Florida Southern added to its’ second half streak with a quarter opening goal. Down by four, Saint Leo earned its first goal of the half as Eames placed a perfect low left corner goal, assisted by Jack SperaRyan Marek made it a run netting another one 14 seconds later, assisted by Peyton Tyson. Eames struck again in an unassisted goal at 6:47 to extend the run to three and slashing the difference to one; 11-10. With time shaving off the clock quickly, Florida Southern commits a penalty which Reece Hrycan gladly converted into an equalizing man-up goal, assisted by Shand with 47 seconds remaining in regulation. Neither team could get it done within regulation forcing the electrifying overtime. Overtime took a mere 65 seconds. The Mocs had possession and a chance to end it as Florida Southern’s shot ripped off the pipe and bounced to midfield where Spera recovered it. The Lions pushed down towards goal as Justin Williams found Bistrow slashing from the opposite side for the game winning goal. Up Next The Lions turn around quickly to host the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Saturday, April 10 at University Turf Stadium. Saturday’s conference matchup is set to begin at 3 p.m. 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.   *******************  

Nolan Scores Four Goals as Mocs Men’s Lacrosse Falls 12-11 in Overtime

  LAKELAND, Fla. – Sean Nolan led the Florida Southern College men’s lacrosse team with four goals against Saint Leo University on Thursday evening, as the Lions took a 12-11 overtime victory. The Mocs fall to 1-3 overall, including a 1-2 mark inside the Sunshine State Conference, while the Lions improve to 2-2, and 2-1 SSC. Both teams have been receiving votes in the national polls. HOW IT HAPPENED 1st Quarter
  • Saint Leo got on the board first, with a goal four and a half minutes into the game.
  • Florida Southern responded with consecutive goals over a span of 56 seconds, coming from junior midfielder Edward May and Nolan.
  • SLU then scored twice in the final minute of the quarter, for a 3-2 lead.
  2nd Quarter
  • The Mocs rallied for three unanswered goals to open the second. Senior Kevin Horwitz won the opening faceoff, and fed attackman Jeff Atlas, who setup junior attack Cody Bielec for a goal, just 12 seconds in.
  • Only 49 seconds later, Atlas scored an unassisted goal to give the Mocs a 4-3 lead.
  • Senior middie Carson Wallace followed with his sole goal of the day, and the Mocs held a 5-3 lead.
  • Saint Leo responded with a four-goal outburst of their own, to recapture the lead, 7-5.
  • Sophomore Thomas Frank would score his first goal of the day with 1:13 to go in the quarter, before Nolan lit the lamp with just seven seconds remaining to send the game into halftime tied at seven.
  3rd Quarter
  • The Southern defense clamped down in the third quarter, holding the Lions scoreless. Goalie Maxwell Freestone made five spectacular saves in the period, allowing the Mocs to take control of the game.
  • Two goals came from Nolan, with a Justin Dunleavy tally sandwiched in between, as Southern led 10-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
  4th Quarter
  • Frank scored his second goal of the game with 9:55 remaining, to push the Mocs to an 11-7 lead.
  • From there, SLU scored twice in 13 seconds, then cut the lead to just one, at 11-10, with a goal with 6:47 remaining.
  • The game-tying goal came in a man-up situation, with just 47 seconds remaining in regulation.
  Overtime
  • Southern controlled the ball to open the overtime session, and May had a great look at the goal. He ripped a shot past the SLU goalie, only to have the ball hit the post and ricochet out to midfield.
  • SLU picked up the loose ball, and had a two-on-one unsettled situation. Justin Williams drew the defender, and setup Guy Bistrow for the game winner, just 65 seconds into the extra period.
  INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • Maxwell made 18 saves in the game, including ten in the second half.
  • Horwitz continued his dominance at the faceoff X, winning 18 of his 23 chances.
  • Balanced scoring allowed seven different Mocs to score goals. Nolan (4) and Frank (2) are the only student-athletes with multiple goals today.
  • Horwitz led the team with nine ground balls, followed by Nolan with eight.
  UP NEXT The Mocs will head to Winter Park to face Rollins College on Saturday, April 10, for a 1:00 p.m. start.  

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