SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's lacrosse team picked up their third straight victory as they defeated Tiffin University by a score of 9-7 on Monday evening from University Turf Stadium.  The win advances the Lions' record to 3-4, while the Dragons drop to 1-2 on their young season.

Stephanie Marran and Christina Minneci each netted three points on the evening, with Marran scoring a hat trick, and Minneci netting two goals and an assist.  Alyssca Viscomi scored two goals, with Paige Leggio and Alix Murray contributing one goal each.

The Dragons were led by Emily Roussel, who pulled in a game high four points with three goals and an assist.

Saint Leo saw a big day between the pipes from sophomore goalie Brittany Millsap, who made six saves, including four in the second half as she faced 19 shots and 13 shots on goal.  Jessica Bombard for Tiffin made 12 saves as she saw 27 shots, 21 of which were on target from the Lions.

A stalwart Saint Leo defense helped limit Tiffin's attacking opportunities, and held the Dragons to just one goal in the entire second half of action.  Marran led the team in ground balls with four and caused two of the Lions six turnovers on the night to keep Tiffin at bay.

The Lions placed the first goal on the scoreboard thanks to an unassisted tally from Leggio with 27:46 on the clock in the first half, but Tiffin answered back with two goals of their own to pull ahead 2-1 at the 24:44 mark.  Marran placed a shot in the back of the net a minute later to knot the score at 2-2, but Tiffin pulled out to their second advantage of the game three minutes later with a score of 3-2after a goal from Alexandria Quast.

Minneci and Marran neeted the next two for the Lions, but Tiffin rattled off three straight goals to pull ahead to a 6-4 lead at the half.

The Lions entered into the second half composed, and placed three unanswered goals on the scoreboard to open the second stanza to pull ahead 7-6 with 21:52 to go.  Tiffin's Katelyn Hill broke the Saint Leo streak at the 16:22 mark, but the Lions were able to score two more and hold the Dragons off of the scoreboard for the remainder of the game to pick up their third straight win with a score of 9-7.

Saint Leo led the game in shots, 27-19, and ground balls, 18-9.  The Lions were successful on 11-of-14 clear attempts, and converted 2-of-4 free-position shots while the Dragons were shut down from the arc as they were 0-for-4 from the hash.

The Saint Leo women's lacrosse team returns to action on Wednesday, March 13, when they take on Limestone College.  Game time against the Saints is slated for 11 a.m. at University Turf Field.  Fans who cannot make it to the game can catch all of the action live on the Saint Leo Sports Network at saintleolions.com.  For the latest news, updates, and information, fans can 'Like' the Lions on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.