SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo Lions announced their men's lacrosse schedule for the 2018 season featuring seven homes games, eight on the road, under the direction of 14-year head coach Brad Jorgensen.

The opening faceoff is scheduled on Saturday, February 3 at Alabama-Huntsville. The Lions will return from the road opener to University Turf Stadium on Saturday, February 10 hosting Lincoln Memorial.

"Our strength of schedule will go up with this group, we have the guys to do it," explains Jorgensen. "New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) coming here in February is big one, nationally. They are usually a top five or top eight nationally ranked program. Queens and Lindenwood on the schedule is big and our trip to Mount Olive will be a big regional game as well."

One of the Lions' eight road games might feel more like home than a typical bus trip. Saint Leo will face Queens University in a neutral contest on Saturday, March 10, near Saint Leo's Education Center in Savannah, Ga.

"This is a good game for us," says Jorgensen. "We feel like it is a home game. We have a campus in Savannah and our opponent doesn't. Playing Queens is a game that both parties wanted to make happen. With Saint Leo's Savannah Center being about halfway, it obviously made a lot of sense for us. We have seen other teams play in Savannah as a neutral site and the town itself does a great job at running these neutral events. We are not just excited about the logistics piece, but to play in front of another segment of Saint Leo. The game atmosphere here is some of the best in the conference and we don't expect it to change in Savannah."

The Green and Gold will have until March 24 to prepare for Sunshine State Conference competition. Saint Leo will host Embry-Riddle, Rollins and Lynn on its home turf, while Palm Beach Atlantic, Tampa, Florida Southern College and Florida Tech will fill the Lions' road conference schedule.

Jorgensen continues, "Conference play in the SSC is always tough. Last year all six programs in the Sunshine State Conference were nationally ranked."

Seven all-conference members return among Jorgensen's 2018 roster. First-team All-SSC selection Jake Bye finished his junior campaign with outstanding defensive efforts with 26 groundballs and 16 caused turnovers.

"This is a year that we expect big things," says Jorgensen. "We have a gigantic senior class that has done a lot of really good things."

2017 Second Team All-SSC returners include Jake Gilmour, Kyle Pauwels, Anthony Visintin and Thomas Tatarian. Among the conference standouts is Kyle Pauwels, the 2017 NCAA Division II shots on goal percentage leader (.873), who led the Lions in becoming the NCAA Division II team statistical leader in shots on goal percentage (.378) - Saint Leo's second straight season earning a NCAA Division II statistical title.

In addition to the Lions' first and second team all-conference honors, two freshmen were named on the prestigious SSC All-Rookie team: Devin Sparks and Matt Shand.

"We felt like we underachieved a little bit last year," concludes Jorgensen. "This is the year to get over the hump and do it the right way."

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.