SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's soccer team (1-0) defeated the Warner Royals (0-1) by a score of 3-0 in their first regular season match of the year at University Field Thursday afternoon.
Despite the heavy emphasis that head coach Keith Fulk placed on defense during the Lions pre-season training sessions, the Saint Leo offense truly shined during the non-conference contest, with Saint Leo taking a total of 10 shots in the first half and 14 shots in the second.
The Lions first three tallies of the season came from freshman Josh Davis in a hat-trick performance debut, with two goals coming in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Saint Leo's first goal came after thirty minutes into the first half, forward Bruno Da Silva drove through the Warner defense and lost possession of the ball, allowing Davis to find the back right corner of the net from his place at the edge of the six yard box.
Two assists from Da Silva and one from midfielder Viktor Wikner made the 3-goal effort possible, while freshman goalkeeper Manuel Schoenhuber stood as a solid figure in the Saint Leo goal, allowing no Warner goals in his debut as a team captain.
Dating back to last season, the clean sheet marks the Lions' third shutout in the last four matches.
While newcomers Davis and Schoenhuber made their presence known on the field, each member of the Lions lineup contributed as they outshot the Warner Royals 24-6 and attacked the Royals non-stop during the entire 90 minute contest. In addition to the six Saint Leo corner kicks, transfer Javeim Blanchette and veteran Aaron Gendreau also had 4 shots while newcomers Matt Campbell, Chris Lavie, and Anthony Jannetta remained a strong presence in the backfield.
The Lions next performance will take place on Saturday, September 1st as the opening weekend festivities continue for Saint Leo athletics. Kickoff will occur promptly at 3:30pm in the regional contest versus the University of West Florida Argonauts at University Soccer Field.
For more information on the men's soccer team as well as up to the minute statistics and scores, please visit www.saintleolions.com.
