MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's lacrosse team fell to the 9th–ranked Florida Panthers, 22-7, on Tuesday evening in a Sunshine State Conference match-up in Melbourne, Fla.

Kelsey Burns recorded her second-straight hat trick as she recorded three goals in the loss to the Panthers, while Kaylah Walstad added two tallied. However, 24 turnovers would haunt the Lions as the Panthers were able to capitalize. Freshman Erin Davis finished with a career-high nine saves in the cage.

The Basics
Saint Leo falls to No. 9 Florida Tech, 22-7
Location: Panther Stadium | Melbourne, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 6-9, 0-3 SSC | No. 9 Florida Tech 10-2, 1-1 SSC

How it happened
1H | The Panthers opened things up with back-to-back scores in the first five minutes of action, but freshman Bailey Hurd recorded her second career goal off a Katherine Larson pass to bring it back within one. Florida Tech tacked on two more before Kaylah Walstad would put in a free position shot in the back of the net. Three more Panther shots would find the cage before for Kelsey Burns would snag her first goal of the game. Just nine seconds following, Florida Tech added another score. Burns would add her second of the game in under a minute of action, making it 8-4. However, the Panthers would tack on the final two goals of the period. Freshman Erin Davis finished the half with eight saves. | FIT 10-4

2H | Florida Southern opened the period with two goals before Walstad was able to find the net for her second score of the game. The Panthers added another, making it 13-5 before Burns was able to net another for the hat trick. Another three Panther goals would find the cage before Abbie Ross would tally a free position shot. The home squad would tack on six goals to close the half. The Lions went 2-3 on second half FPS, and both teams won seven draws. | FIT 22-7

Points to Note

• Freshman Erin Davis recorded a career-high nine saves, adding one ground ball.
• Kelsey Burns finished with three goals, four draws, two ground balls, and one caused turnover.
• Kaylah Walstad added two goals with one ground ball and one draw.
• Saint Leo was out-shot 45-12.

Up Next
The Lions host Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday, April 18 at 3 p.m.

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