Viera alum Nate Deplancke 2G for FIT, Providence alum Guy Bistrow 1G, Lake Mary alum Chase Strait 13 saves for Saint Leo

via the school press releases/websites

BOX SCORE

Men’s Lacrosse Knocks off No. 18 Saint Leo in 10-8 Victory

by Christina Hardman

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Tech men’s lacrosse team took down a Top-20 opponent at home on Saturday afternoon, defeating No.18 Saint Leo 10-8. The Panthers responded after being down 3-1, making a run to pull ahead and never let the lead slip away to earn their second straight conference victory.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final:  Florida Tech 10, #18 Saint Leo 8
Records: Florida Tech (3-5, 2-0 SSC) | #18 Saint Leo (6-2, 0-1 SSC)
Locations: Rick Stottler Field | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST QUARTER:

• Saint Leo jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as the Lions scored less than one minute into the contest.
• Griffin Martin found the back of the net with 4:37 remaining to tie it up.
• Neither team was able to get another past each other’s defense, led by both goalies. Jax Francisco recorded four saves for Tech, while Chase Strait tallied five for the Lions.

SECOND QUARTER:

• Saint Leo scored two straight goals in two and a half minutes to take a 3-1 lead with 12:32 left in the second period.
• Tech responded with a 3-0 run to end the half with a one-goal lead, 4-3.
• Ben Foster got the run started with a man-up goal assisted by Collin Stewart.
• Nate Deplancke scored his first of the game off a feed from Martin to tie it up, 3-3 with 4:19 on the clock.
• With 1:39 to go, Cam McKee found Luke Policke for the go-ahead goal.
• Jax Francisco came up with a big save as the buzzer sounded to take a one-goal lead into the break.

THIRD QUARTER:

• Joe Coveleski increased Tech’s lead to 5-3 off an assist from Andrew Walenty with 12:22 to go.
• SLU fought back scoring two straight to once again tie it up, 5-5.
• Cam McKee and Cam Johnson each added unassisted tallies, with an SLU goal sandwiched in between, to remain one-goal up heading into the final frame.

FOURTH QUARTER:

• Tech scored three consecutive goals in the first five minutes to open the final frame and build their lead to 10-6 with 10 minutes to go.
• Martin posted his second of the day 40 seconds in before Deplancke scored his second of the game on a man-up opportunity assisted by Zach Rozgonyi.
• Collin Stewart capped off the Panther’s run on a man-up off a feed from Jakob Terpak.
• The Lions tried to come back from the four-goal deficit, scoring the final two goals, but it was too little too late as Tech earned its second straight conference win.

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Griffin Martin led the Panthers with three points on two goals and one assist.
• Nate DePlancke added two goals.
• Collin Stewart and Cam McKee each posted two points on one goal and one assist.
• Joe Coveleski, Luke Policke, Cam Johnson, and Ben Foster each tallied one goal.
• Zach Rozgonyi, Andrew Walenty, and Jakob Terpak each recorded one assist.
• Ricky Fedorchak led the defense with three caused turnovers and two ground balls.
• Jax Francisco tallied 16 saves and a .667 save percentage while also collecting one ground ball.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech out shot SLU 34-32 and recorded fewer turnovers (21-19).
• Saint Leo collected more ground balls (26-21) and won 16-22 face offs.
• Florida Tech went 25-of-28 on clears, while SLU went 20-of-23.
• Florida Tech went 3-4 on man-up opportunities, while Saint Leo was 1-3.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech stands at 6-7 all-time against Saint Leo.
• This marks the fourth time Tech has started 2-0 in SSC play in program history and the second time under third-year head coach Brad McArthur.
• Jax Francisco tied his career-high with 16 saves.
• Francisco becomes the fourth goalie in program history with 10 or more career wins.
• With his two points in the win, Nate Deplancke is now at 70 career points, which moves him past Charlie Morrissette (2014-2017) into 10th place on the program’s career points list.

UP NEXT: Florida Tech returns to action Saturday, March 30 when they head to Winter Park, Fla. to take on #5 Rollins at 5 p.m.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men’s lacrosse team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

*****

#19 Men’s Lacrosse Edged by Florida Tech in SSC Opener

by George Hillen | Manager of Athletic Communications

MELBOURNE, Fla. – In its Sunshine State Conference (SSC) opener, the 19th-ranked Saint Leo men’s lacrosse team lost 10-8 on the road at Florida Tech on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions scored within the first minute as sophomore Aidan Knoetgen found the back of the net off a dish from classmate John Raucci at the 14:37-mark. However, neither team scored in the following nine and a half minutes until the Panthers tied the game 1-1 with 4:37 remaining in the first quarter.

The Green and Gold kickstarted the second frame with a pair of goals first from sophomore Zach Kroog off a feed from freshman Marc Bartolomucci before senior Michael Flores laced a score unassisted to give Saint Leo a 3-1 lead. However, Florida Tech finished the first half on a three-goal run as it led by a 4-3 margin at intermission.

The Panthers built a 5-3 advantage at the start of the third quarter which was quickly answered with a score from Knoetgen and senior Guy Bistrow as the game was deadlocked at 5-5. With a little over two minutes left in the third frame, Florida Tech scored before sophomore Greg Palmer countered with a goal of his own and tied the game at 6-6 heading into the final quarter. Florida Tech scored a trio of goals in the opening five minutes of the fourth frame to lead 10-6. Sophomore Matthew Cleary registered a goal with 8:29 left in regulation by way of Knoetgen followed by Knoetgen lacing a score at the 7:44-mark.

Knoetgen led the Lions with three goals and one assist while he also collected two ground balls and caused one turnover. Cleary finished the game with one goal and one assist while Bistrow, Palmer, Flores, and Kroog tallied one goal each. Flores posted six ground balls and went 14-for-20 during faceoffs. Sophomore James Davies notched four ground balls and one caused turnover while graduate student Dominic Muscella forced two turnovers and co0llected three ground balls.

In the net, senior Chase Strait recorded 13 saves in the complete-game effort.

The Lions return to action on Saturday, March 30 as they travel to face Lynn in a SSC showdown at 4:30 p.m.