SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's lacrosse team edged the Florida Tech Panthers, 18-15, in the Green and Gold's conference opener on Saturday at University Turf Stadium. The Lions won the offensive battle in the form of shots taken (49-35), earned more saves (15-6), showcasing senior goalkeeper Gunnar Luckoski, and beat the Panthers in the tight faceoff battle (19-16). The trifecta improved the Lions' record to 1-1, 1-0 in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC).
 
Tyler Eames paced the successful offensive day with four points scoring two goals and two assists followed by Guy Bistrow with a pair of goals and an assist for three points. Justin Williams had a tremendous day scoring a career-high hat-trick off three shots. Devin Sparks and Ryan Marek joined the fun with two goals apiece while Peyton Tyson contributed two points with a goal and an assist.
 
Michael Flores earned a game-high eight ground balls going 10-for-19 at the face. Sharing the responsibilities at the 'X', Jordan Williams earned four ground balls going 9-for-16.
 
Luckoski earned the win in the cage with 15 saves in 60 minutes of work.
 
Records
Florida Tech 0-2, 0-2 SSC
Saint Leo 1-1, 1-0 SSC
 
How it Happened
The high-scoring first quarter featured 12 goals with the Lions finding a 7-5 lead. Up by one at 3-2 (7:59), Saint Leo pulled away to 6-2 off a three-goal run celebrating unassisted goals from Eames, Jack Spera, and Liam Mueller. Florida Tech cut the gap back down to two with a pair of goals followed by one more goal on each side of the field.
 
Unlike the first 15 minutes, the second quarter was a low-scoring 3-2 segment where the Lions added one to their lead. Matt Shand, assisted by Eames, scored the man-up goal followed by unassisted Justin Williams and Marek goals. The Lions heading into the half up by three, 10-7.
 
Little did they know, the three-goal gap would be critical as both teams tallied four goals in the third and fourth quarters. Sparks ultimately netted the go-ahead goal in the 11^th minute of the fourth to bring the game to 16-11. The Panthers finished the last 10 minutes outscoring the Lions 4-2 but it would too little too late against the Green and Gold.
 
Up Next
Saint Leo will hit the road for the first time of the 2021 season on Saturday, April 3. The Lions will travel to Winter Park, Fla. to faceoff against the Tars of Rollins College starting at 2 p.m.
 
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men'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.
 
Keeping Our Lions Healthy & Safe
Saint Leo University Athletics is keeping our student-athletes healthy and safe by following a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes having student-athletes tested or screened on a regular basis, traveling in smaller groups, holding competitions without fans in attendance, avoiding overnight trips, and wearing masks when not competing. These safety standards meet those set by the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference President's Council. At Saint Leo University, the COVID-19 Incident Command Team also reviews the teams' safety protocol and monitors adherence on a regular basis.