photo via Rollins web site   Rollins Press Release   WINTER PARK, Fla.  (April 1, 2017) – Trailing by as much as two with 9:24 to go in the third quarter, the Rollins men’s lacrosse team fought back to earn a 6-4 come-from-behind upset victory over the No. 19 Saint Leo University Lions on Saturday evening at Barker Family Stadium and Cahall-Sandspur Field. The win marks the third straight matchup the Tars have taken from the Lions in the all-time series against their longest Florida rival, and advances their overall record to 6-5, and 1-1 in Sunshine State Conference action.  The Lions, who have now dropped their second Sunshine State Conference game of the season, drop to a record of 8-3, and 0-2 in SSC action. Greg Taicher and Blake Buell led the way with a hat trick each, while Connor Ashton and Roy Hansen dished out one assist apiece on the day.  Blake Buell also earned four ground balls, while sophomore goalie Ty Wedekind picked up a team high five as he earned his first start of the season in goal for the Tars.  Lucas Brush caused a game high four caused turnovers to help the Tars topple the 19^th-ranked Lions, and added two ground balls to his afternoon.  At the faceoff-x, Trey LaPorta won 3-of-10, while Brett Portera and Ford Johnson went 0-for-2 from the line.  Wedekind earned the win after facing 25 shots and 13 shots on frame from Saint Leo.  The Ellicot City, Md. native earned a career high nine saves while allowing only four goals on the afternoon, including five saves in the first quarter. Saint Leo saw a team high two goals from Kyle Pauwels, while Anthony Visinti and Matt Shand scored one apiece.  Charlie Kurtenbach led the team in assists with two, while Jake Gilmour added one.  Goalie Thomas Tartarian earned a team high five ground balls, while Mitch Wilson, Jake Bye, and Joe Serrecchia picked up four each.  Bye notched a team high two caused turnovers on the afternoon.  On the faceoff, Wilson won 7-of-9 attempts, while Austin Dipietro won 3-of-3 and Kavanagh won 1-of-2.  Tartarian shouldered the loss playing a full 60 minutes in cage for Saint Leo.  The goalie earned 16 saves, including five in the second quarter, while allowing six goals on the day. HIGHLIGHTS AND QUARTER-BY-QUARTER ANALYSIS First Quarter l Rollins was the first on the board as Ashton connected a feed to Taicher for the first goal of the game with 9:10 on the clock.  Saint Leo finally answered back at the 3:44 mark, with Pauwels knotting the score at 1-1 and closing out the scoring in the first period. Second Quarter l  The second stanza was quiet all around, with the lone goal coming from Saint Leo as Pauwels notched his second of the game off of an assist by Gilmour with 8:39 to go before the half.  At the break, Saint Leo held onto a slim 2-1 edge over the Tars. Third Quarter l The Lions opened up the third quarter extending their lead to two, 3-1, as Shand found the back of the net with 9:24 on the clock.  The Tars were not about to back down, and scored with 2:30 to play in the period to pull back to within one of Saint Leo, 3-2, closing out the scoring for the third quarter. Fourth Quarter l The Tars continued their scoring streak into the fourth quarter, netting two straight to take a 4-3 lead with 12:14 on the clock.  Blake Buell got the fourth quarter scoring spree started with 13:54 on the clock, followed by a goal by Taicher to give the Tars the lead.  The Lions broke the run with a goal by Visintin with 9:56 to play, evening the score at 4-4, but Buell answered with his third of the game 55 seconds later to regain the lead for Rollins, 5-4.  Taicher sealed the deal late in the contest, scoring with 2:55 to play to give the Tars a two goal advantage, 6-4. GAME NOTES

• Wedekind earned his first start of the season, and earned a career high in saves with nine on the day.
• Blake Buell earned a new season high with three goals, besting his previous record of two which he notched on March 18 against North Greenville.
• Rollins outscored Saint Leo in the second half, 5-2.
• The Tars have now won three straight against the Lions
• Saint Leo leads the all-time series between the two programs, 11-3.
• Rollins has now matched up against their fifth nationally-ranked team this year, with the victory over Saint Leo marking the first upset the Tars have earned this season.

NEXT UP FOR THE TARS The Tars will return to action on Saturday, April 8, when they travel to Boca Raton to take on Lynn University in Sunshine State Conference action.  Game time against the Fighting Knights is set for 5 p.m.  Links to live coverage will be available on RollinsSports.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 Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram   =====   Saint Leo Press Release   WINTER PARK, Fla. – The No. 19 Saint Leo Men’s Lacrosse team fell in a low-scoring affair to the Rollins Tars, 6-4, on Saturday afternoon at Barker Family Stadium. Saint Leo held the lead through entering the final quarter of action, but turnovers hurt the Lions, and Rollins was able to take advantage and outscore the Green & Gold, 3-1, in the final quarter to take the game. The Basics Saint Leo fell to Rollins, 6-4 Location: Barker Family Stadium | Winter Park, Fla. Records: Saint Leo 8-3, 0-2 | Rollins 6-5, 1-1 How it happened 1Q | With alternating possessions over the first five minutes of action, the Tars were able to get on the board with a pass across the face of the cage that found an open Tars’ player for the score with nine minutes to play in the game. Charlie Kurtenbach would find Kyle Pauwels for the score with 3:44 left to play to even the game. Kurtenbach dished the rock from behind the cage to a dodging Pauwels who made a nifty move to dupe the keeper. | 1-1 2Q | At 8:39, the Lions caused a failed clear attempt as Matt Shand got in the way of the keeper’s pass out. Shand found Gilmour by the cage, who found Pauwels for the score. | Saint Leo 2-1 3Q | Saint Leo was able to get on the board first as Kurtenbach found a cutting Matt Shand for the score, making it 3-1. The Tars were able to take one back after a tough defensive stand by the Green & Gold with 2:30 left in the quarter. | Saint Leo 3-2 4Q | Rollins was able to tag on an early goal with 13:54 to play in the game to tie the game, 3-3. A Saint Leo turnover resulted in a fast break goal by the Tars, giving them the 4-3 lead with 12:14. Anthony Visintin would even the game with a rip from the left side of the cage. Rollins would take the lead back at the 9:01 mark, and then would also have a man-up possession. Saint Leo’s defense was able to kill the penalty unscathed. With 2:55 left, Rollins added an over-shoulder shot that snuck into the corner of the goal, making it 6-4. Saint Leo had a couple of attempts to score, but with nine turnovers in the period, ther were unable to do so. | Rollins 6-4 Points to note

• Thomas Tatarian finished the game with 16 saves on 22 shots on goal, and 32 total shots.
• Saint Leo on 11 of the 14 faceoffs. Mitch Wilson won seven of nine, while Austin DiPietro went 3-3.
• Saint Leo committed 24 turnovers, 15 of which were uncaused. Nine of the turnovers happened in the final quarter.
• Kyle Pauwels finished with two goals, while Charlie Kurtenbach added two assists.
• Jake Bye finished with four ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Up Next Saint Leo hosts Florida Tech on Saturday, April 8 for a 1 p.m. game. 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.