SAINT LEO, Fla. - Saint Leo university men's lacrosse team fell at home to Catawba College in overtime by a final score 11-10.
1st Quarter:
Saint Leo opened with pace and confidence, striking first on Brady Moltisanti's finish off an Alex Clark feed. Tristan LeBlanc added a smooth unassisted goal to make it 2–0, and Ben Baker pushed the lead to 3–1 minutes later. Catawba responded with a run, but Anderson Smith buried a late equalizer to tie it 4–4 before a final Catawba goal in the closing seconds made it 5–4 after one.
2nd Quarter:
The Lions delivered their strongest stretch of the day, scoring three straight to flip the game. Greg Palmer tied it at 5–5, then John Raucci took over with back to back unassisted goals to give Saint Leo a 7–5 lead. Catawba answered with a man up goal and a late equalizer, but Saint Leo's ball movement and ground ball work (8 in the quarter) kept momentum even heading into halftime.
3rd Quarter:
Saint Leo struck first when Aidan Knoetgen finished off a feed from Palmer to reclaim the lead at 8–7. The Lions continued to win faceoffs and generate chances, but Catawba capitalized on two key possessions to edge ahead 9–8 entering the fourth. Drew Wheeler kept the Lions close with four saves in the period
4th Quarter:
Saint Leo refused to fade, tying the game twice in a gritty defensive quarter. Maverick Chernoff ripped home the 9–9 equalizer, and after Catawba briefly regained the lead, Knoetgen delivered again with a clutch unassisted goal at 1:36 to force overtime. The Lions out shot Catawba 13–5 in the quarter and controlled ground balls 5–3, ending regulation tied at 10.
Overtime:
Saint Leo won the faceoff battle all day (16 of 24), but Catawba capitalized on its lone OT possession, scoring the golden goal despite a strong 15 save performance from Wheeler. The Lions generated 43 shots overall and dominated ground balls 31-21
Saint Leo Leaders
The men's lacrosse team is back on the turf Sat. March. 7 against the Flagler College Saints.
