SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's soccer team needed one of two things to happen on Saturday evening to earn themselves the title of Sunshine State Conference Regular Season Champions, and with the heroics of freshman Yuga Yanagisawa, and a gritty defensive performance, the Lions drew 1-1 with No. 22 Barry, and earned the title.

The Basics
Final Results: Saint Leo and No.22 Barry draw, 1-1
Where: University Soccer Field | Saint Leo, Fla.
Record: SLU 9-5-1, 5-2-1 SSC | BU 8-4-3, 2-4-2

How It Happened
86'| The visiting Buccaneers came at full force with just four minutes remaining in regulation. A shot by the Bucs' Patrick Drmola was blocked on the goal-line by freshman Pascal Derwaritsch, directing the ball out of bound. Barry earned a corner kick, capitalizing off Patrick Borchert's cross, as Michael Dodds put in the goal for the Bucs. |BU 1-0|
87'| Just two minutes later, the Lions looked to mount an offensive movement, earning a direct kick, just outside the 18-yard box. Saint Leo's leading score Maximilian Schulze-Geisthovel looked to be the redeemer of the evening, but BU's keeper Bo Haug blocked the shot. However, Yanagisawa took the moment to play superhero and slotted the rebound in the back of the goal to net the equalizer. |1-1|

Points to Note

• Saint Leo earned the out-right SSC Regular Season Title with the tie on Saturday evening. This is the Lion's third regular season title, with the others coming in 2013 and 2005.
• This match was the first game all season that the Lions had gone into overtime.
• Freshman keeper James White recorded six saves.
• Yanagisawa, a defender from Tokyo, Japan, netted his second career goal.
• Saturday was Senior Night, and Saint Leo honored six seniors: Matt Campbell, Chris Lavie, Henry Adu, Josh Davis, Andy Garcia, and Anthony Jannetta. All six seniors were apart of head coach Keith Fulk's first recruiting class at Saint Leo.

Coach's Quotes
"It's just an incredible year after the loss of one of our players in July, and then four of our guys being out for the season, it's incredible where we have come from. When you have tragedy, it's unbelievable how sometimes at the end of the tunnel it greatness. Tonight, we gritted it out, and we ground it out. I am extremely proud of everybody. It was a struggle early on in the year, and then we started getting our stride, and then this last week you could see us getting fatigued mentally with three games, but we fought through it. For the seniors, it was a great way to send them out. It's fantastic, Matt Campbell has been here four years and has two SSC Championships, and NCAA appearances, and hopefully another one on the way. I am really proud of the guys and the team-camaraderie after all we have been through."

For the Opponent

• Barry's keeper Bo Haug recorded six saves for the visitors.
• Senior defener Michael Dodds scored his second goal of the season.
• Borchert recorded his third assist.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men'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.