MELBOURNE, Fla. – In a final score against an opponent that is becoming very familiar to the Saint Leo women’s soccer team, the Lions dropped a 1-0 decision to host Florida Tech in Sunshine State Conference action on Wednesday afternoon.

Florida Tech (6-4, 3-1 SSC) kept their hopes for an SSC regular season title alive behind a single goal from the foot of junior Casey Lademann in the 16th minute.  On the Saint Leo (3-5-1, 0-2-1 SSC) side of the field, the host Panthers used some crafty passes to snake the ball into the goal.  Freshman Carly Hunt took the ball down the far side of the field before dropping it back to sophomore Kelly Whitaker.  Whitaker then chipped the ball across the field and caught Lademann who hit it home.

That was all that Florida Tech would need in keeping the Lions off the board as the hosts would only allow Saint Leo three shots on goal and five shots total.

Despite the futility on the offense, the Lions did manage one big opportunity as the clock had nearly expired.  With less than a minute left, senior Chrissy Darwell managed to work a shot past the Florida Tech ‘keeper, but Panther defender Chrissie Chater cleared the ball off the line, registering a team save and preserving the shutout.

The 1-0 setback marks the third-straight time that Saint Leo has been on the wrong end of a one-goal decision to Florida Tech.  In the last two meetings, the Panthers knocked the Lions out of the Sunshine State Conference Championships and ended their season in the NCAA tournament in 2009.

Continuing their road trip, the Lions will next face Lynn University as they travel to Boca Raton on Saturday.  The Lions and Fighting Knights will kick off at 3:00 p.m. on the Lynn University campus.