WINTER PARK, Fla. – The 23rd-ranked Saint Leo University women's lacrosse team picked up a huge conference victory against #15 Rollins on Saturday afternoon.
Fiona McLaughlin's four goals were the difference in a 15-11 Lions win in Winter Park.
McLaughlin's four goals tied for the most in the game.
Jana Nuss,
Ava Valenti,
Sophia Wood, and
Zoey Lind all netted a pair of goals in the win.
Maria Palomba had a game-high seven draw controls and
Jessica Harclerode made 14 saves and picked up a game high 11 ground balls.
#23 SAINT LEO 15, #15 Rollins 11
Rollins Caroline Gastonguay put the home team up 2-0 early in the first quarter.
Cassidy Passaro responded with a goal just 24 seconds later to begin a 3-0 run for the Lions. McLaughlin tied the game at 2-2 with her first goal of the game. Late in the opening quarter
Sophia Wood found the back of the net as the Lions took their first lead of the game. However, in a 26 second span in the final minutes of the first quarter, Rollins turned a one-goal deficit into a one goal lead.
Gastonguay added onto the Tars lead with her third goal of the game in the opening minute of the second quarter to give the home team a 5-3 advantage.
Ava Valenti sparked a five-goal run for the Lions that spanned more than six minutes of the second quarter as the Green and Gold tied the game and took the lead.
Zoey Lind's first goal of the game with five minutes left in the first half put the Lions up 6-5 and gave them a lead they never relinquished. Saint Leo took a 9-6 lead into halftime.
Just as it did in the opening quarter, Rollins opened the scoring of the second half with back-to-back goals to cut the Lions lead to one. After more than six minutes of scoreless action in the third quarter, Back-to-back goals by McLaughlin and
Marina Dean put the Lions back up by three goals.
Briana Bellando closed out the third quarter scoring with a goal at the 35 second mark as Saint Leo took a 12-9 lead into the final 15 minutes.
Just as the three previous periods began, the Tars' Gastonguay opened the quarter with a goal but this time it was Charlotte Gastonguay to cut the Lions lead to two goals. McLaughlin scored back-to-back goals for her final two goals of the game.
Jana Nuss closed out the scoring of the game with a second goal of the game at the 1:25 mark in the fourth quarter.
Jessica Harclerode made 14 saves in goal for the visitors.
UP NEXT
Saint Leo is back in action on Wednesday as it makes the short drive over to Tampa for an SSC match up against the Spartans. The opening draw is set for 6:00 p.m. in Tampa.
