MELBOURNE, Fla. – The No.16-ranked Saint Leo men’s soccer team (7-3-0, 1-3 SSC) fell to the Florida Tech Panthers (5-4-1, 3-1 SSC) by the final score of 4-0, Friday evening from Rick Stottler Field in Sunshine State Conference action. It is the second shutout of the Lions this season. The loss also snaps a Saint Leo two-game win streak and extends their losing streak to Florida Tech to three matches.
In the game, four of the Lions’ 11 shots landed on goal, including two first half blasts by Bruce Cuter which were stoned at point-blank range.
Unfortunately for the Lions’ faithful in attendance, it was as close as they came to breaking the line of goal, despite controlling much of the momentum.
The Panthers first break came in the 20th-minute when a penalty in the box set-up a penalty kick attempt which eventually found the back of the net to put the physical Panthers squad up, 1-0.
The Lions quickly reasserted themselves as the aggressor, but could not punch the ball through before the half.
Out of the halftime break, the Lions tried to continue the offensive pressure but a quick, forward push by Florida Tech caught Saint Leo on their heels. At that point, a cross found the head of Nick Robinson as he planted it in the upper right corner of the net to make it 2-0.
The Lions could not get back on track, as any push was immediately repelled by the Panthers’ brass, keeping the usually potent Lions’ offense at bay.
Florida Tech finished the game with two more goals in the final three minutes to make the score its 4-0 final.
Jake Hirst made six saves on the evening, but took the loss dropping to 6-3 on the year.
39 combined fouls were whistled for in the game, including five yellow cards. Saint Leo was outshot, 18-11, despite more than doubling the Panthers output in the first half. The game also featured 16 corner kicks, including nine by the visitors from Saint Leo.
In the overall picture, the loss keeps Saint Leo at three points in the race for a Sunshine State Conference title, while Florida Tech moves into sole possession of second-place with nine points. Rollins continues to sit on top of the conference with 12 points. The Lions have four conference matches left in 2010.
The Lions will attempt to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Boca Raton, Fla. to take on SSC challenger Lynn. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
