WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The 20th-ranked Saint Leo men's lacrosse team lost 15-12 on the road at Palm Beach Atlantic in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) contest on Saturday afternoon.

After falling back by one goal, the Lions answered with a pair of goals to claim a 2-1 edge while sophomore John Raucci scored unassisted before sophomore Greg Palmer found the back of the net at the 5:07-mark off a feed from senior Guy Bistrow. The Sailfish countered with a pair of goals of their own to grasp a 3-2 advantage with 2:15 remaining in the opening quarter. 13 seconds later, sophomore Owen Wills knotted the game up at 3-3 followed by Bistrow scoring at the 1:46-mark by way of junior Carson Bulger. However, PBA tied the game at 4-4 in the closing seconds of the first frame.

The Sailfish scored the first four goals of the second quarter to grab an 8-4 advantage until Palmer found sophomore Aiden Knoetgen to lace a goal and trim the deficit to 8-5. However, the Sailfish tallied a trio of goals to claim an 11-5 margin. With 1:27 left in the second frame, Plamer assisted Bistrow on a goal as the Lions cut the deficit to 11-6 at halftime.

Coming out of intermission, Saint Leo built momentum as junior Xan Hayes and sophomore Zach Kroog registered the opening goals of the third quarter while the Sailfish only held an 11-8 lead. PBA answered the Lions' two goals with two goals of its own to recapture a five-goal lead, 13-8. With less than a minute left in the third frame, sophomore Ben Baker blasted a goal off a dish from Bistrow, 13-9. The Sailfish ended the third quarter with a goal and started the final quarter with a goal to grasp a 15-9 lead midway through the fourth. The Lions fought back with three-straight goals while Kroog, Knoetgen and Bistrow all found the back of the net, however, the Lions did not get possession of the ball for the remainder of the game.

Senior Michael Flores was effective at the X as he went 21-for-25 in faceoffs and tied a career-best 18 groundballs.

Bistrow finished the game with six total points that featured three assists and three goals while Palmer collected three assists and one goal. Knoetgen tallied two goals and two assists, additionally, Raucci posted a goal and an assist while Kroog notched a pair of goals. In the net, senior Chase Strait collected six saves in the complete-game effort.

The Lions return to action on Wednesday, April 10 as they host No. 3 Tampa in SSC action at 7:30 p.m.