WINTER PARK, Fla. -- Three unanswered second half goals for Rollins College were enough to propel the 14th-ranked Tars past 23rd-ranked Saint Leo University, 4-1, in a Sunshine State Conference clash of ranked teams Saturday night at Cahill-Sandspur Field.
Saint Leo slipped to 8-3-0 overall, 3-1-0 in the SSC with its first conference loss of the season. Rollins improved to 9-2-0, 4-1-0 SSC.
A scrappy Lions side held an offensive advantage through much of the first half, outshooting the Tars, 7-4, in the opening stanza and earning three corner kicks. Rollins did manage to post a goal on the scoreboard first, when the Tars' Mora Johnson slid a long ball past Saint Leo keeper Laura Carstens in the 32nd minute.
Saint Leo tied things up at 1-1 before the end of the first half. Redshirt freshman Katie Waddell scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season in the 42nd minute, finishing a cross into the box by sophomore Arielle Kabangu.
Rollins grabbed a quick 2-1 lead in the fourth minute of the second half, the 49th minute of play, on a Paxton Sickler strike off a cross to the far post. On own goal by Saint Leo in the 56th minutes extended Rollins' lead to 3-1, and came off a sequence that gave the Tars three attempts at the Lions' goal before the ball was accidentally redirected past Carstens by a Saint Leo defender.
The Lions staged a furious counterattack over the next 15 minutes, in an effort to cut the deficit to one. Saint Leo hammered away at the Rollins goal with six shots during that span, forcing Tar keeper Mary Spring to come up with three of her six saves on the night.
The Tars capped the scoring with an insurance goal in the 85th minute. Emma Jones' header found the back of the Lions' goal off a free kick into the box by Nicole Fischer, giving Rollins the final 4-1 margin of victory.
Saint Leo narrowly outshot Rollins, 16-15, over the course of 90 minutes, with the Tars holding an 11-9 edge in shots in the second half. The Lions did not record a corner kick opportunity in the second half to finish the game with three overall, while the Tars charted two corner kicks to go with their 11 offside calls.
Carstens finished the game with six saves in the Saint Leo goal, as her record fell to 4-2-0.
The Lions will return to the pitch on Wednesday, Oct. 15, when they host Eckerd College in an SSC contest at University Soccer Field. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo women's soccer team, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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