SSC Men: Saint Leo 16-8 over FIT – Both Recaps
via the school’s press releases/website
Lions Win First SSC Matchup 16-8 Versus Florida Tech
SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men’s lacrosse shows up in a big way with a 16-8 win over the Panthers of Florida Tech in the first official SSC matchup of the season.
The Lions now move to 6-3 after the win.
In the first quarter, Senior Justin Williams put the Lions up six minutes in on the first man up opportunity that was given.
The Lions finished the quarter up 3-1 after shots from Junior Guy Bistrow and Senior Landon Spangenberg also landed in the back of the net.
A variety of offensive power came from the Lions that was kicked off by Freshman Thomas Nelan that led to the Green & Gold taking a 9-3 lead into halftime.
Freshman Greg Palmer got the Lions going in the third quarter with their first goal after halftime and the momentum stuck with the home side leading to Saint Leo having a 13-4 lead at the start of the fourth.
Freshman James Davies got involved in the action for the Lions getting their first fourth quarter goal.
Despite a late surge from the Panthers, the Lions closed the game out for a final score of 16-8 with Saint Leo on top.
The leading goal scorer for the Lions was Greg Palmer with four goals while tallying one assist.
Junior Chase Strait had a massive performance in net with 15 saves while gaining his sixth win of the season.
The Lions now welcome Palm Beach Atlantic to University Turf Stadium for another SSC matchup on April 1st with the face-off scheduled for 3:00pm.
For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo Men’s Lacrosse, 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.
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Panthers Struggle in SSC Opener Versus Saint Leo
SAINT LEO, Fla. – Men’s Lacrosse opened up SSC play against Saint Leo on Saturday. The Panthers quickly fell behind and were unable to catch back up despite a fourth-quarter surge.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: No. 20 Florida Tech 8, Saint Leo 16
Records: Florida Tech (4-4, 0-1 SSC) | Saint Leo (6-3, 1-0)
Locations: University Turf Stadium | Saint Leo, Fla.
FIRST QUARTER:
- Saint Leo capitalized on their first man-up opportunity to take a 1-0 lead within the first six minutes.
- Lions added another with 3:12 left on the clock. Freshman Nicky Vreeland answered back on an unassisted effort to put Tech on the board.
- SLU added another with 33 seconds remaining in the opening frame to take a 3-1 lead.
SECOND QUARTER:
- SLU tallied four straight to extend the lead 7-1.
- Vreeland posted his second of the day on a feed from Chandler Hake, 3:04 left.
- After winning the face off, SLU took it straight in to bring the Panthers deficit back to six.
- A Panther turnover gave SLU another scoring opportunity to move to 9-2.
- Vreeland completed a first-half hat trick on an assist by Jakob Terpak as Tech went into the break down 9-3.
THIRD QUARTER:
- Zach Rozgonyi brought some momentum into the start of the third with an unassisted goal.
- SLU went on a 4-0 run to end the period and increase their lead 13-4.
FOURTH QUARTER:
- Tech outscored SLU 4-3 in the fourth.
- Nate Deplancke drilled one into the back of the net with 12:32 to go, assisted by Collin Stewart.
- Panthers rallied to score three straight to cut into SLU’s lead, 15-8. Deplancke scored his second of the day, assisted by Stewart before Stewart got one of his own on a man-up opportunity assisted by Chandler Hake.
- Jack Maranto won the face off and brought it right in for his first career goal.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
- Nicky Vreeland led the Panthers with his first career hat trick and one ground ball.
- Nate Deplancke added two goals, two ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
- Collin Stewart finished with one goal, two assists, one ground ball, and two caused turnovers.
- Chandler Hake tallied two assists, two ground balls, and one caused turnover.
- Jack Maranto went 13-18 in the circle and recorded one goal and seven ground balls.
- Jax Francisco posted a career-high 16 saves in net.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- SLU finished with an advantage in shots (52-35) and ground balls (35-31),
- Florida Tech edged SLU out at the X (15-12).
- Tech ended with turnovers (18-12).
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Tech moves 5-7 all-time against Saint Leo.
- Collin Stewart tied the single-season record for man-up goals with seven.
UP NEXT: Florida Tech is back in action Saturday April 1st when they host Lynn at 11 a.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.
