SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo Lions topped Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) 13-9 on a rainy Tuesday afternoon at University Turf Stadium. The Green and Gold's five-goal third quarter was enough to carry the Lions over the Sailfish in order to return to their winning ways. 
 
Ryan Marek earned a hat trick as the Lions' leading scorer against the Sailfish helped by Tyler Eames who tallied four points with a goal and three assists. Matt Shand scored two goals and an assist, recording and surpassing his 100^th point career milestone. The graduate student from Whitby, Ontario has compiled a career 101 points scoring 46 goals and registering 55 assists.
 
Jack Spera also had a monumental career day as the graduate student from Hauppauge, N.Y. passed his former teammate Eric Lee. Lee had previously held the program's fourth-highest caused turnover career record. Lee caused chaos for opponents during the 2016-2019 seasons, tallying 36 caused turnovers for the Lions. Spera's pair of caused turnovers against Palm Beach Atlantic notched his 37^th career CT, his eighth on the shortened 2021 season.
 
Jordan Williams had a day at the X winning 16-of-24 faceoffs. The senior faceoff specialist also picked up five ground balls and earned an assist.
 
Gunnar Luckoski had another great showing in the cage with 12 stops after facing 40 shots, 21 of which were placed on target.
 
Records
Palm Beach Atlantic: 6-0, 5-0 SSC
Saint Leo: 3-3, 3-2 SSC
 
How it Happened
Five different Lions combined for a three-goal run to open the second quarter which lifted Saint Leo 4-1 over PBA. After the Sailfish tallied a pair of goals, Saint Leo got on the board one more time in order to hold a two-goal lead at the half, 5-3.

Coming out of the halftime break, Saint Leo generated a four-goal run to record the largest gap of the game at 9-3 at 8:05. Both teams exchanged goals allowing the Lions to maintain a six-goal advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Palm Beach Atlantic outscored Saint Leo 5-3 in the fourth, which wouldn't be enough to upset the Lions. The Green and Gold handed in a 13-9 win at home before a two-game road stretch. 
 
Up Next
Saint Leo and Palm Beach Atlantic are not done. The series between the programs will continue in less than 48 hours. The teams are scheduled to meet again on Thursday, April 22 at 5:30 p.m. in West Palm Beach, Fla.
 
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's lacrosse team, 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, limiting the number of 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.