Saint Leo will be at home 10 of 14 games this season.  Photo courtesy of Mike Carlson SAINT LEO, Fla. — The Saint Leo University men’s lacrosse team will face four top 15 teams from last season and three NCAA Tournament squads, including the defending National Champion, in a challenging 2016 schedule as announced by head coach Brad Jorgensen. The Lions, who finished 7-7 last season, will host 10 of its 14 games at University Turf Stadium. Saint Leo will host defending National Champion Limestone College in its second match of the year as well as perennial power LIU Post. The Sunshine State Tournament will be hosted by the highest seed in the tournament. Semifinals will take place Friday, April 29th and Finals will be held Sunday, May 1st. “Our schedule is definitely challenging,” said Jorgensen. “Anytime you have the defending National Champion on your schedule, you’re going up against tough opponents. We went after some of the best competition in our region with Pfeiffer and Colorado Mesa and obviously the Sunshine State Conference schedule is not easy either. I think we have a good mix of regional opponents and certainly some challenges this year.” Saint Leo opens the season at home Feb. 13 versus Emmanuel (Ga.). The pair will meet for the first time in program history. Emmanuel’s program is young, only in its third competitive season. In the second match-up of the season, the Lions will host Limestone, the 2015 DII National Champion on Feb. 20. The contest will renew a rivalry that dates back to 2007. Since Saint Leo’s first season in 2006, the duo have met in the regular season eight times. While the Saints hold a 8-0 advantage, they’ll being making their first trip to University Turf since Feb. 17, 2013. With two games under their belts, the Lions will hit the road for their only non-conference road game Feb. 27. Saint Leo will travel to Rome, Ga. and take on Shorter University. The Lions are 2-0 in the past two seasons, and have outscored the Hawks 20-10. The entire month of March, Saint Leo will play at University Turf, and will host seven matches in 21 days. Saint Leo held an 4-4 record at University Turf last season. “You hope winning at home is easier than winning on the road. With us having 10 home games this season, we’re going to put an emphasis on defending the home turf. We’ve only got one game outside the state of Florida this year, so anytime you’re not getting on a bus for 10 hours the night before a game is an advantage. It’s a challenging slate but it’s favorable that it’s here.” The Lions open up their seven-game home stand March 5 against Pfeiffer. The Lions have a 3-4 record against the Falcons. The last time Saint Leo won was at University Turf Field in 2012. Saint Leo hosts Coker three days later on March 8 for the duo’s third match-up in program history. The Lions keep rolling on March 10 when they host perennial power LIU Post. Post, a 2015 NCAA Tournament participant visits University Turf for the first time in just the pairs second meeting. Post defeated Saint Leo last year in a Wounded Warriors event. In their fourth match in seven days, the Lions will host Lees-McRae Saturday, March 12. The following Tuesday, regional opponent Colorado Mesa will face Saint Leo for the first time. The Mavericks finished the 2015 season ranked 15th in the USILA rankings. “They’ve been coming to Florida for a couple years. They are the cream of the crop out west. They are in our region and it makes sense to get a good regional game and get it at home.” In its last non-conference match of the season, Saint Leo will host Adams State March 19. Saint Leo opens up SSC play March 23 when it hosts Rollins in the final home contest in March. The Lions will face Rollins for the first time at home sine 2014. “As favorable as our overall schedule is, we have three conference away games and all three are tough places to win games at. There is no top or bottom at the conference. On any given day, you’re talking a one or two goal win against anyone in the SSC. In the final push of late March and April, there will be no days off. You will see everyone’s best game because it is conference. It’s nice that we don’t have to go too nuts out of conference to get a good schedule.” The Lions first road SSC match-up will be at Florida Tech April 2. Conference action continues April 9 for the final home match of the season. Saint Leo will host Lynn for senior day festivities. Saint Leo will end its season on the road for its only two-game road swing of the season. The Lions will travel down 275 to face Tampa April 15, before completing the regular season April 23 at Florida Southern. For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men’s lacrosse team, 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.