MELBOURNE, Fla. – Saint Leo women's soccer scored once in each half and held host Florida Tech off the scoreboard on its way to a 2-0 victory over the Panthers, Saturday afternoon at Rick Stottler Field.
Coupled with Rollins' 2-1 loss to Barry on Saturday, Saint Leo now sits atop the Sunshine State Conference standings with nine points. The Lions improved to 3-0-0 in the SSC, 7-2-0 overall, and are off to their best start in conference play since 2011.
Senior Sam Buterbaugh notched the game winner in the 10th minute, scoring off a mishandled save by Florida Tech keeper Julia Kantor. Saint Leo sophomore Saffron Jordan served up the free kick that Kantor was unable to recover, earning the assist on Buterbaugh's first goal of the season. The Lions carried the 1-0 lead into the intermission, after out-shooting the Panthers 4-2 in the opening half.
Saint Leo had to survive a flurry of shots from Florida Tech to open the second half. The Panthers took four attempts at the Lion goal over the first 15 minutes of the frame, forcing keeper Laura Carstens to come up with one save during the span.
The Lions finally extended their lead to 2-0 in the 63rd minute on a goal by redshirt freshman Katie Waddell. Waddell buried a shot past Florida Tech reserve keeper Karlyn Prisco off a rebound of sophomore Arielle Kabangu's shot off the crossbar.
Saint Leo held Florida Tech to just three shots over the remainder of the half, resulting in two more saves for Carstens. Carstens finished the day with four saves while recording her second shutout of the season and the eighth of her career.
Prisco was not credited with any saves in the Florida Tech goal during the second half, while Kantor charted a pair of stops in the opening frame.
Florida Tech ended the game with a 9-7 advantage in shots taken, and had five corner kicks to Saint Leo's four.
Saint Leo returns home for its final non-conference game of the season when it hosts Palm Beach Atlantic University on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 4:30 p.m. on University Soccer Field.
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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