DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In what has proved to be a historic season for the tenth-ranked Saint Leo University women's lacrosse team, the Lions set program history once again. In its penultimate Sunshine State Conference game of the 2026 regular season, the Lions earned their highest ranked win in program history with a 14-12 win at #4 Embry-Riddle on Saturday. Natalie Jones led the attack with four goals and Jessica Harclerode made eight saves in the victory. With that win at Embry-Riddle, the Lions improve to 13-3 overall and 5-1 in SSC play to secure the number two seed in the 2026 Sunshine State Conference championship and will earn a first round bye. The Eagles drop to 11-3 and are 4-2 in conference play.

Wednesday's win improved the Lions to 4-0 all-time in Daytona Beach. Saint Leo ties a program record for most wins in a season and a second-place finish in the SSC is the highest finish in program history. A sixth conference victory this season would set a new program record for most conference wins in a season.
 
Saint Leo rallied from an early three-goal deficit and used a dominant fourth quarter to earn a 14-12 Sunshine State Conference road win at Embry-Riddle on Saturday. The Eagles led 4-2 after the opening quarter and the game was tied 6-6 at halftime before Embry-Riddle used a 5-0 third-quarter run to take an 11-7 advantage. The Lions answered with seven straight goals spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth, getting key scores from Jana Nuss, Anna Wood, Holly Hill, Sophia Santella, and Sophia Wood to surge in front for good. Natalie Jones led the attack with four goals, while Nuss added three goals, Hill had three goals and an assist, Sophia Wood finished with two goals and two assists, and Santella chipped in a goal and three assists. Jessica Harclerode made eight saves in goal as Saint Leo closed out the comeback for its fifth SSC win.

#10 SAINT LEO 14, #4 EMBRY-RIDDLE 12

• Embry-Riddle struck first just under three minutes in, and after Natalie Jones answered off a feed from Sophia Santella, the Eagles used a man-up goal and two more scores to build a 4-1 lead midway through the first.
• Sophia Wood found the back of the net late in the quarter to cut into the deficit, sending Saint Leo into the second trailing 4-2.
• The Lions found their rhythm in the second quarter, opening with another goal from Jones before trading scores with Embry-Riddle.
• Goals from Holly Hill and Jana Nuss evened the score, and Jones completed her first-half hat trick to give Saint Leo its first lead at 6-5.
• The Eagles answered in the final minute, sending the teams into halftime tied 6-6.
• Saint Leo carried that momentum into the third, as Jones scored again early to make it 7-6.
• Embry-Riddle responded with a decisive 5-0 run, turning a one-goal deficit into an 11-7 advantage midway through the quarter.
• The Lions halted the run with a free-position goal from Nuss and a late strike from Anna Wood, closing the gap to 11-9 heading into the fourth.
• The fourth quarter belonged to the Lions. Nuss opened the scoring to make it a one-goal game, and Hill followed to tie it at 11-11 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
• Santella gave Saint Leo the lead at 12-11, and back-to-back goals from Sophia Wood and Hill pushed the run to seven unanswered goals and extended the lead to 14-11.
• Embry-Riddle added a late goal, but Saint Leo controlled possession down the stretch and closed out the 14-12 conference victory.

Inside the Numbers

• 4: Natalie Jones matched career-high with four goals
• 103: Isabella Gebinine now sits in third in NCAA Division II with 103 draw controls
• 13: Saint Leo was a perfect 13-for-13 on clear attempts
• 6: Saint Leo saw goals from 6 different players: Natalie Jones (4), Jana Nuss (3), Holly Hill (3), Sophia Wood (2), Anna Wood, and Sophia Santella
• 13: Matches a program record for most wins in a season (2019, 2025)

UP NEXT
Saint Leo returns home for its regular season finale on April 15 against Lynn.