via both school’s press releases

BOX SCORE

Hock Comes Up Big in the Cage for Sweet, Sweet Victory on the Road

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Saint Leo men’s lacrosse team’s wait is over. The Green and Gold have suffered a series of tight losses in the Sunshine State Conference competition so far in the 2022 season. On Tuesday, April 19, the Lions tasted the oh-so-familiar taste of victory against the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish. After the original game was rescheduled due to weather, Saint Leo traveled down to West Palm Beach, Fla. to defeat PBA, 12-9. The victory raised the Green and Gold’s record to 6-7 overall, 1-5 in the SSC.
 
Palm Beach Atlantic took 20 more shots than Saint Leo. The difference-maker was goalkeeper Evan Hock. Hock recorded the second-most saves in a single game in program history with 23 stops. The freshman from Columbia, Maryland earned his fifth win of the season after a tremendous 60 minutes of work.
 
The Sailfish cut the Lions’ lead to one goal at 8-7 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The Green and Gold offense generated a three-goal run to get ahead 11-7 with 10 minutes left on the clock. The late offensive burst would prove to be enough as PBA would tally two goals. Ryan Marek, assisted by Reece Hrycan, would add more for the Green and Gold for the final tally of a dozen.
 
Justin Williams led the attack with four goals off six shots. He and Tyler Eames and Peyton Tyson strung together the winning run. They were assisted by three different sticks: Evan Wray, Guy Bistrow, and Kadin Schillo.
 
Saint Leo will wrap up the 2022 season on Saturday, April 23 at Lynn. The Lions and Fighting Knights are set to faceoff at 5:00 p.m. in Boca Raton, 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.

*****

Sailfish Fall To Lions 12-9

by Nick Sheehy, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla- The Palm Beach Atlantic men’s lacrosse team fell to the Saint Leo Lions 12-9 at the Rinker Athletic Campus on Tuesday. PBA dropped to 5-8 on the season. 

Six different Sailfish found net. Austin Evans led the ‘Fish with a hat-trick while Henry Sloyan scored two goals. Caleb Southard, Joshua Turner, Zach Layne, and Hunter Lizza scored one goal each. 

Noah McKoeun went 14-23 at the faceoff x (60%.) On the defensive end, Gunner Gebelein and Aaron Miechiels caused four turnovers each. The Sailfish committed four less turnovers then the Lions and picked up 15 more groundballs. Saint Leo’s goalkeeper Evan Hock recorded 23 saves in net for the Lions. 

PBA struck first with 10:50 in the first quarter. Dylan Insolia connected with Southard at the doorstep. Southard finished his shot on the crease for his 16th goal of the season. Insolia distributed his fifth assist of the season.  The Lions pumped in two consecutive goals for a 2-1 lead after the first quarter.

The Sailfish and Lions exchanged goals back and forth through out the second quarter. At 13:35 in the second quarter, Sloyan dodged right and ripped a rocket and tied the game at 2-2. The Lions answered back to take a 3-2 lead. At 11:29 in the first half, Lizza notched his first collegiate goal. Lizza dodged from behind the goal and made a spin-move toward the net as his shot tied the game up at 3-3. Evans dodged from behind the net turned and scored with 9:22 in the first half. Evans tied the game at 4-4. The Lions closed the quarter out on a 2-0 run for a 6-4 lead at halftime. 

SLU tacked on another at the start of the second half for a 7-4 advantage. Turner earned his sixth goal of the year at 12:33 in the third quarter. PBA capitalized off a failed Saint Leo clear. The ball found Turner on the perimeter who buried his shot to the cut the PBA deficit to 7-5. With just under three minutes to go in the third quarter, Gebelein picked up a ground ball and initiated a fastbreak. Gebelein passed the ball to Evans who ripped a time and room shot for PBA’s sixth goal of the contest. The Lions led 8-6 after the third quarter. 

Evans capitalized off a man-up opportunity and completed the hat-trick with 14:20 left in the game. Evans is tied for second on the team in goals with 20 this season. Layne notched his second goal of the year with 9:08 left. Sloyan’s second goal of the game came with 49 second left. Sloyan leads the team in goals with 27, assists with 10 and points with 37. The Lions pumped in four goals in the fourth quarter for a 12-9 final score. 

Next, the Sailfish close out the season on the road at No. 12 Florida Southern on Saturday Apr. 23.