WINTER PARK, Fla. – With emotions high and a familiar opponent, the South Region No. 3 Saint Leo men's soccer team took the field Saturday evening with an ultimate goal. With the host and South Region No. 2 Rollins College scoring first the Lions needed to fight. And fight they did. Saint Leo looked bound and determined in the NCAA Regional Second Round game, scoring come-from-behind goals twice. In the end, an impressive performance from RC's Brett Durrance was too much for the Lions, who fell 3-2, ending an inspiring season.
The Basics
Final Results: Rollins College def. Saint Leo, 3-2.
Where: Cahall-Sandspur Field | Winter Park, Fla.
Record: SLU 10-7-1 | RC 13-7
How It Happened
26'| Tosan Popo blasted in the opening goal off a pass from Alexis Martinez. Popo took the pass over his shoulder, and fired a rocket of a shot past keeper James White. | RC 1-0 |
51'| Bafou Sanogo netted the equalizer, using his noggin to knock in the Brandon Rivera cross.| 1-1 |
53'| Rollins keeper Drew Trautmann made an exception save on a penalty kick from Matt Campbell, keeping the game even. | 1-1 |
67'| Brett Durrance found the end of a Tosan Popo long ball across the box, taking the shot off a single bounce, netting the go-ahead goal. | RC 2-1 |
74'| Campbell got his redemption. A well-orchestrated attack saw Maximilian Schulze-Giesthovel find an open Josh Davis, who made the smart play of dishing off the rock across the frame to Campbell for the equalizer. | 2-2 |
85'| Durrance finds the goal again. A Rollins shot was saved by White, but Durrance uses his head to knock in the rebound shot. | RC 3-2 |
Points to Note
- White made a game-high five saves on the evening, many of which came in impressive fashion.
- Campbell finished the season with four goals, a single-season career best.
- Sanogo recorded his third goal of the season, finishing with a career-best 15 points on the season.
- Davis' assist was the first of the season for the senior.
- Both teams recorded 15 shots, eight on goal for the Tars, seven for the Lions.
Coach's Quotes
"I'm just really proud of the team. We went down and just kept fighting. We played some great soccer and we missed a penalty kick, but kept playing and really just overall proud of the kids. With all that they've been through, I am extremely proud to be a Saint Leo Lion. Obviously we're disappointed we lost, but sometimes there's more important things than wins and losses. I'm just really proud of the team and how the persevered through a lot of tragedy this season. The last five months with injuries and a loss of a player. I'm really happy for them and we kept fighting.
Coach's remarks on his seniors' careers
"I know Matt Campbell is really disappointed to end this way, but he has grown so much and when the penalty kick happened, he wanted to take the kick. We want guys that want to take the kick. We're going to miss him. They're the first class that we had with Chris Lavie, Anthony Jannetta, Andy Garcia, Henry Adu and Josh Davis. They fought like crazy, and Josh played fantastic tonight. We're going to miss all of them very, very much, and were extremely proud of them. I think and know they're going to be extremely successful people in the real world.
For the Opponent
- Rollins moves to 10-1-1 against Saint Leo in the last 12 match-ups.
- Popo netted a goal and tallied an assist for the Tars.
- Durrance played savior on the evening for the hosts, netting two go-ahead goals that gave the Tars the win.
- Trautmann recorded four saves in his first game of the season against the Lion.
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.
