via Tampa press relesase  

#2 Tampa Wins Handily Against Saint Leo

SAINT LEO, Fla. – The No. 2 ranked University of Tampa Spartans men’s lacrosse team took opened their season against the Saint Leo University Lions. Tampa won the contest handily, 24-8. INSIDE THE MATCHUP: Final: No. 2 Tampa 24, Saint Leo 8 Records: Tampa (1-0), Saint Leo (0-1) Location: University Turf Stadium | Saint Leo, Fla. HOW IT HAPPENED: FIRST QUARTER Tampa was in control for the entire first quarter, scoring the games first goal off Bryan Wright‘s stick just 11 seconds into the match. This would be the beginning of an avalanche of scoring for the Spartans, as they added seven more goals in the quarter: Ben French (2), Jake Mosher McGraw (2), Daniel Fitzpatrick (1), Ross Dickerson (1), and Jack Wood (1). Wood also garnered two assists in the quarter. Saint Leo scored once Score: 8-1 Tampa SECOND QUARTER Saint Leo scored two minutes into the frame. The Spartans immediately answered with seven goals of their own. Colin White got things started with a goal off the assist by Owen Matukas with 12:14 left. White added another tally four minutes later, unassisted. Tampa then went on a four-minute scoring blast with one goal per minute to close the quarter: White off the assist by Wood with 4:09 left; Dickerson with the unassisted effort 13 seconds later; Shane Hanlon scored with 2:41 left; and another goal and assist for Mosher McGraw and Wood, respectively. Score: 14-3 Tampa THIRD QUARTER Matukas assisted on the first goal of the second and scored the first goal of the third with 13:38 left. The Spartans added seven more: Wood assisted by Luke McAnaney; Hanlon assisted by Richie Holle; Jack Baldwin assisted by Marley Heimert; solo effort by Dickerson; unassisted goal Harry Kilkowski; unassisted goal McAnaney; unassisted goal by Casey Platenik. Saint Leo scored once in the third. Score: 22-4 Tampa FOURTH QUARTER Things slowed down in the fourth, with Spartan goals by Owen Miller and Mosher McGraw. Saint Leo added four goals in the period. Score: 24-8 Tampa INSIDE THE STATS:

• UT had six players score two or more goals: Mosher McGraw (4), Ross Dickerson (3), Ben French (2), Shane Hanlon (2), and Jack Wood (2).
• French and Wood recorded eight of UT’s 13 assists with three and five, respectively.
• UT had 14 players score at least one goal.
• Dickerson logged 14 ground balls on the game.
• Blake Ulmer earned his first win of the year.

UP NEXT: The Spartans travel to Rollins College to take on the Tars Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com. Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com. Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for the Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.   **********   via Saint Leo press release  

Men’s Lacrosse Drops Home Opener Against Tampa

SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo, receiving votes in the most recent United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) poll, ended up on the wrong side of the second-ranked Tampa Spartans Friday in a 24-8 finale during the Lions season home opener. Matt Shand led the Green and Gold’s offensive efforts with four points from three assists and a goal. Liam Mueller helped the efforts with a pair of goals. Mueller tallied the first two goals for Saint Leo, both assisted by Shand. Five other Lions were able to break through the Spartan’s defensive line and get on the board. At the face, Michael Flores went 9-for-31 while Scyler Merriman chipped in going 1-for-3. In the net, Gunnar Luckoski earned 15 stops on the night. Records #2 Tampa Spartans 1-0 RV Saint Leo 0-1 How It Happened Saint Leo found the back of the net once in the first quarter, tallied a pair in the second, and another in the third. Gino Riforgiato’s opening fourth-quarter goal was later joined by a three-goal run for the Lions in the middle of the fourth. Up Next Saint Leo will turn its attention to Wednesday, March 24 when the Lions travel to Florida Southern, who also received votes from the USILA. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. in Lakeland, Fla. 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 Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Keeping Our Lions Healthy & Safe Saint Leo University Athletics is keeping our student-athletes healthy and safe by following a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes having student-athletes tested or screened on a regular basis, traveling in smaller groups, holding competitions without fans in attendance, avoiding overnight trips, and wearing masks when not competing. These safety standards meet those set by the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference President’s Council. At Saint Leo University, the COVID-19 Incident Command Team also reviews the teams’ safety protocol and monitors adherence on a regular basis.