MELBOURNE, Fla. – The No. 22 Saint Leo women's lacrosse team worked to overcome a slow start at Florida Tech on Saturday. Trailing by three goals at 17:07 in the second half, the Lions equalized the game at seven with 6:28 remaining. Despite the efforts, the Panthers regained the lead and ultimately the win, to close out the game on a three-goal run in a 10-7 decision. Saint Leo had a tremendous season breaking the most wins in a season record at 13-4, 2-4 in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC).
 
The Panthers protected its home field quickly, tallying a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes of play. Saint Leo answered Florida Tech in the form of back-to-back goals by Janee DeLuca. Over the next 15 minutes, the hosts would go on a three-goal run. Lexie Walstad converted a free position shot for a halftime score of 5-3.
 
Leslie Ferguson paced the comeback efforts with two goals and an assist in the Lions three-goal second-half run to level the game at seven. The Panthers clawed their way back as the leaders and ultimately took the game on a three-goal run.
 
Saint Leo and Florida Tech each took 17 shots per period for a total of 34 shots. The draw controls were also tight as Saint Leo won 10 while Florida Tech won nine. Both goalkeepers put up double-digit performances as Erin Davis earned 18 saves for the Green and Gold. On the other side of the field, Chloe Zador earned 17 stops for the Panthers.
 
Stat Highlights

• Leslie Ferguson scored a hat-trick and an assist for a game-high four points.
• Janee DeLuca put two in the net followed by Lexie Walstad and Kaylah Walstad each with a goal.
• Delaney Chrisco earned a team-high five draw controls.

Beyond the Boxscore

• Leslie Ferguson scored in every game as the team's leading scorer. She earned a season 57 goals, raising the program's career goal record to 141 goals.
• Kaylah Walstad will also go down in the Lions record book as the all-time career assists record holder with 51.  
• Under the direction of second-year head coach Caitlin Hansen, the Lions broke the program's best season start in 2019, now set at 13-0.

 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo women's lacrosse, be sure to 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.