TAMPA, Fla. – The Saint Leo University men's lacrosse team fell victim to a scoreless first half, and were unable to claw their way into the lead as they fell to the University of Tampa Spartans by a score of 9-5 on Tuesday evening at Pepin Stadium.  The Lions drop to 4-5, 3-3 in Deep South conference action on the season, while the Spartans advance their record to 8-3, 5-0 in conference play.

Matt Obermeyer led the Lions with two goals, while Robert Hutchinson, Chris Caiazza, and Ryan Burke notched one apiece.  Ray Ferrara and Kevin Hutchinson contributed one assist each on the evening.

In goal, Patrick Berry set aside eight shots, while yielding nine on the evening.  His counterpart, Joseph Fiorucci, made a total of 12 saves while allowing only five goals.

Tampa was headed up by MJ Lorenzo and Ryan Becker with a hat trick each, and a total of six different Spartans contributed to the scoring on the night.

The Lions found themselves in a rare situation, and couldn't put a goal on the scoreboard in the first two quarters.  Tampa was able to place four shots between the pipes in the first period, but also remained scoreless in the second stanza, giving the Spartans a 4-0 advantage at the half.

Saint Leo pulled to within two of Tampa with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter with a score of 6-4, but the Spartans were able to hold onto their lead throughout the remainder of the contest.

Saint Leo returns to action on Sunday, March 25, when they host Lenoir-Rhyne.  Game time against the Bears is slated for 1 p.m.  For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's lacrosse team, visit saintleolions.com.