SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo announced the 2021 men's lacrosse schedule. On Saturday, March 20, the Saint Leo Lions will host its rival, the Tampa Spartans. The 13-week schedule holds 10 games, five home, five away contests, and three bye weeks. Since there is significant overlap of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) teams meeting, four of the games will be played as non-conference games. The Green and Gold will face Tampa, Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Rollins, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Lynn.
 
Game times were altered due to no overnight travel, and there will be no fans inside the arenas at any of the regular season games.
 
How to Watch
Lions fans are able to watch the game and follow live stats via the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network where the Green and Gold's 10 games will be streamed and carry live statistics. For viewing any of the Green and Gold's contests against conference opponents, go to sunshinestateconference.tv or directly to the Lions' portal HERE. For following along with the live stats, fans can view them HERE. For more coverage of the Saint Leo men's lacrosse program or any of the University's intercollegiate events, go to saintleolions.com/coverage.
 
Looking Back
Saint Leo squeezed in a 3-2 overall record prior to the 2020 pandemic stoppage. The season was cut off after the Lions' dominant home opener 20-6 win against Walsh. As a team, the Green and Gold scored 67 goals, earned 39 assists, put together a team 63-percent (126-200) shots on goal mark, 131 ground balls, caused 48 turnovers, won 39-percent of faceoffs (59-89), and earned an 84-percent mark clearing the ball on the ride.
 
In 2019, Saint Leo advanced to the SSC finals by way of redemption in the quarterfinals. Saint Leo suffered an overtime loss to Lynn, who was ranked 18^th by the USILA, in the regular season finale. Five days later, the fourth-seeded Lions surprised the top-seeded Fighting Knights in Boca Raton, Fla. in a 9-7 decision. Saint Leo fell in the finals to second-seeded Tampa, concluding with a 10-7 overall record, 4-3 in the SSC.
 
The 2021 Roster
The offense returns four of five of last year's highest goal scorers: Tyler Eames, Evan Wray, Matt Shand, and Peyton Tyson. During the shortened 2020 season, Eames started in all five games netting 16 goals and earning eight assists tallying 24 points. Meanwhile, Wray and Shand each earned nine points as Wray scored five and assisted in four and Shand flipped the script with four goals and five assists. Tyson found the back of the net six times and assisted in two goals. He also led the midfielders in ground balls with six.
 
Graduate student, Devin Sparks, continues to roam University Turf Stadium as a midfield veteran. Sparks, who will put on a jersey for the first time without his twin brother, Daniel, a 2020 Saint Leo alumnus, switched jersey numbers for the unique season. Instead of 53, he will wear number three. Sparks overcame injury last season that forced the Indiana native to miss action in 2020. In 2019, he competed in all 19 games in which he earned 13 points. During his freshman campaign, he was named to the SSC All-Freshman Team.
 
The defense boasts the return of captain Jack Spera. Spera caused four turnovers and picked up five ground balls in the five-game season. In the cage, Gunnar Luckoski, who saw one game of action during his first season in the Green and Gold, is joined by sophomore transfer Steve Lauter, and freshmen Jed Page and Chase Strait.
 
At the face, Jordan Williams enters his senior year. During his junior campaign, the Florida native won 51-of-101 (.505%) at the 'X' and fought for 22 ground balls. On February 26, Williams was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Team of the Week after winning 20-of-32 faceoffs and earned game-high nine ground balls against Young Harris in the Lions' 17-11 victory. Sophomore Scyler Merriman also returns to help Saint Leo at the face. Both returners welcome freshman Michael Flores to the round off the three-man faceoff squad.
 
The Coaching Staff
Brad Jorgensen prepares to enter his 16^th year as the first and only head coach the Saint Leo men's lacrosse program has ever had. Coach Jorgensen has racked up a 122-88 record at the helm of the Green and Gold, currently with a 167-138 career mark.
 
Sam Scoba enters his second season on the sidelines with Coach Jorgensen. Scoba joined the coaching staff in August 2019.
 
 
For more information on the Saint Leo men's lacrosse program, 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.