SAINT LEO, Fla. – The No. 15 Saint Leo men's lacrosse team fell in the Sunshine State Conference opener on Saturday evening, falling 12-10 to Rollins College.
Senior Will Cothron went 12-23 on face-offs, earning five ground balls to bring his career total to 307, setting the Saint Leo career record for total ground balls.
A slow second half hurt the Lions, as they were out-scored 8-4 over the final two periods, giving Rollins the win at the final whistle.
The Basics
Final Score: Saint Leo 10 | Rollins 12
Location: University Turf Stadium | Saint Leo, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 7-2 | Rollins 7-3
1Q | The Lions saw freshman Charlie Kurtenbach open up the scoring off a pass from Matt Weller, catching the pass 15-yards out, whipping it to the back of the net. Dylan Yonts followed it up, catching a pass from Jake Gilmour to find the back of the net. Gilmour then added one of his own, as he cut in front of the cage, grabbing the pass from Anthony Visintin, giving the Lions a 3-0 lead. Rollins countered with Morgan Baker's first goal of the evening, and Jack Vonarb added another for the Tars before the end of the period. | Saint Leo 3-2 |
2Q | Yonts opened the second quarter, ripping a man-up goal off a pass from Chad Marino. Rollins' Baker added his second on a rip from the right side. Baker tallied his hat-trick, sneaking this one between Lions' keeper Dave Moore and the post, tying the game at four. The Lions halted the run as Gilmour found Marino cutting across the front, one move around the defender and Marino added his first of the game. With time ticking down, an errant shot sent Marino chasing after to game possession. Marino was successful, and took the ball with just three ticks on the clock. The senior rifled one in as the horn sounded to give the Lions a burst heading into the break. | Saint Leo 6-4 |
3Q | Rollins opened the scoring as Carson Buell netted a goal off Baker's assist. The Lions' "usual" offensive pairing of Gilmour to Yonts responded, bringing it back to a two-goal lead for the Lions. Justin Robinson netted just his second goal of the season, as he went streaking across the face of the net, snagging the pass from Gilmour to net the goal. Rollins added a man-up goal to cut the run, but Marino added his third of the evening off a pass from Yonts. Baker added another for Tars, giving him his fourth. | Saint Leo 9-7 |
4Q | Baker opened up the quarter, added his fifth goal for the visiting team, and started the offensive run for the Tars. The Tars scored the tying goal as AJ Gogan took the shot, Moore blocked it initially, but the block took an unexpected bounce, and rolled past Moore. Moore turned to flick out the ball, but it wasn't soon enough as the referees called it a goal, tying the game at 9-all. Rollins added another as Alex Petsos won the face-off and streaked down the field, taking just six seconds off the clock, giving the Tars their first lead of the game, 10-9. Yonts' fourth goal of the game was an amazing behind-the-back shot, ripped in to the corner of the net, tying the game back up. With just over three minutes on the clock, a foul was called on Saint Leo. Just seconds into the play following, Rollins netted the go-ahead goal by Vonarb. In a defensive effort, the Lions pulled Moore to play defense, leaving the goal open, and Vonarb capitalized, scoring the sealing goal. | Rollins 12-10 |
Points to Note
- Yonts finished with four goals, and one assist. His four goals moved him to third in career goals with 111.
- Gilmour dished out four assists, and added a goal. His four assists give him 42 for his career, moving into fifth all-time.
Up Next
Saint Leo hits the road for the first time in over a month to take on Florida Tech on April 1, at 7 p.m.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's lacrosse 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.
