TAMPA, Fla. – The 20th-ranked Saint Leo women's lacrosse team lost 19-8 on the road at seventh-ranked Tampa in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) contest on Wednesday night.

Sophomore Sophia Wood scored the first goal for the Lions in the first quarter with 46 seconds remaining. At the end of the first quarter, the Spartans held an 8-1 lead. In the second quarter, the Green and Gold found the back of the net on three different occasions as senior Fiona McLaughlin laced a score followed by sophomore Jana Nuss while junior Emma Hayhurst blasted a score off a feed from Nuss with the Lions trimming their deficit to 11-4. At halftime, Tampa led by a 13-4 margin.

Saint Leo opened the second half by scoring three of the first four goals as Nuss scored unassisted followed by Wood and McLaughlin to cut the Lion deficit 14-7. The Spartans added a goal in the closing minute of the third frame to lead 15-7, heading into the final quarter. Wood registered her third goal of the night at the 5:06-mark.

In the net, sophomore Jessica Harclerode posted seven saves and collected three groundballs in the complete-game effort.

Wood finished the game with three goals. Nuss led the team with four total points that included two goals and a pair of assists while McLaughlin notched two goals and Hayhurst tallied one score. Defensively, sophomore Meredith Eitel caused three turnovers while junior Ava Valenti recorded three groundballs. Additionally, Hayhurst and freshman Katie Lind grabbed a pair of groundballs.

The Lions return to action on Saturday, April 6 as they host Lynn on Senior Day in a SSC bout, starting at 3 p.m.