LAKELAND, Fla. – #8 Saint Leo University women's lacrosse made the trip to Lakeland to take on #4 Florida Southern in non-conference action on Tuesday night. The Lions took part in their first top-10 match up in program history and battled hard in a five-goal loss, 17-12. Tuesday night's loss marked the first loss of the 2025 season as the Lions dropped to 3-1 on the season and the Mocs improved to 2-0.
 
Seven Lions found the back of the net in the loss. Holly Hill led the Lions with five goals. Ava Valenti also had a multi-goal game with two goals. Jana Nuss, Clara Gallapoo, Josey Storm, Natalie Jones, and Abby Richards all scored goals. Jessica Harclerode made eight saves on the night.  
 
#4 FLORIDA SOUTHERN 17, #8 SAINT LEO 12

• Florida Southern opened the game on a 5-0 run, including scoring two goals in a 55-second span.
• Ava Valenti ended the opening quarter with her third goal of the season to make it a 5-1 FSC advantage.
• Goals by Josey Storm and Holly Hill to open the second quarter continued with a 3-0 run for the Lions as they cut the home team's lead to just two.
• The Mocs maintained a two-goal lead throughout most of the second quarter before a last-minute goal put the home team up by three at the break.
• Valenti found the back of the net for the second time in the game as she had the Lions first goal of the second half in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
• After back-to-back goals by Florida Southern, the two team traded goals as the Lions saw Hill and Nuss score.
• Florida Southern strung together a 4-0 run that spanned the final two quarters giving the home team a six-goal lead, 15-8.
• Gallapoo capitalized on a women-up opportunity with her second goal of the season. Following a Florida Southern goal, Hill scored twice in a 33-second span cutting the deficit to five.
• Both teams scored their final goal of the game in a 20-second span in the final three minutes as Natalie Jones put home a feed from Sophia Wood for the final goal of the game.  

 
UP NEXT
The Lions three-game road trip to open the season ended on Tuesday night as Saint Leo is set for its home opener on Friday evening hosting Alabama Huntsville. The opening draw at University Turf Stadium is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, February 21.