SAINT LEO, Fla. - The ninth-ranked Saint Leo University women's lacrosse team matched a season-high 18 goals in an 18-10 victory the visiting Maverick of Colorado Mesa in a midday non-conference bout at home on Saturday to open the third month of the year. Senior Maria Palomba's double-digit draw control performance on Saturday brought her within 10 of tying the all-time Sunshine State Conference draw controls record.
 
#9 SAINT LEO 18, COLORADO MESA 10
 
The Lions got on the board first thanks to a goal from Sophomore Natalie Jones, her 10th of the season. Goals from Junior Holly Hill and Senior Josey Storm increased the lead to three as the first quarter continued. Colorado Mesa got on the board after being held scoreless for the first 11 minutes of the game, the longest Saint Leo held a team scoreless to open a game this season. Junior Jana Nuss had a quick answer for the Lions, scoring two goals in just over a minute to double the lead to four as the first quarter drew to a close.
 
Junior Sophia Wood opened the scoring in the second quarter, her eighth of the season. The visiting Mavericks responded nearly two minutes later, but Senior Ava Valenti quickly restored the five-goal lead for the Lions. Hill and Palomba added goals to increase the lead to seven before the visitors scored two goals in thirty seconds in the final minute of the half to cut the lead to five going into halftime.
 
After both sides traded goals to open the third quarter, neither team scored for over nine minutes until Sophomore Zoey Lind found the back of the net at the 2:54 mark. Colorado Mesa responded 51 seconds later to cut the lead back to five.
 
The Lions came out firing in the fourth quarter, as Sophomore Briana Bellando scored two goals in 23 seconds in the opening minute to increase the lead to seven. Nuss scored her third of the game two minutes later before the Mavericks scored again 50 seconds later. Freshman Alexandra Bushey scored her first career free-position shot at the 9:43 mark to increase the lead to eight. Colorado Mesa added an eighth goal before Palomba scored 18 seconds later. Nuss and Zoey Lind added two more for the Lions, as the team equaled their season-high 18 goals. Colorado Mesa added two goals in 14 seconds as the game entered its final three minutes. However, the late flurry of goals was not enough as Saint Leo secured a dominant victory.
 
Offensively, the Lions were led by Nuss who recorded six total points featuring a season-high four goals and two assists. Hill followed with five points from two goals and three assists. Bellando recorded a season-high three points, featuring two goals and an assist. Zoey Lind tied her season-high three points with two goals and an assist. The offense recorded 48 total shots and 32 shots on goal, both season-highs. Palomba scored two goals and won a season-high 14 draws, as she inches closer to breaking the all-time Sunshine State Conference record of 429 draw controls set by Dani Pursinger of Florida Southern (2016-20). The Lions as a whole controlled a season-high 23 total draws. Defensively, the Green & Gold were led by Seniors Julia Sharp and Emma Hayhurst, Junior Parker Surace, and Natalie Jones who each recorded a pair of ground balls. In net, Junior Jessica Harclerode made four saves and recorded five ground balls.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Leo continues its five-game homestand as it welcomes Lenoir-Rhyne to the University Turf Stadium for a non-conference game on Tuesday evening, starting at 7 p.m.