SIANT LEO, Fla. – In a year that has produced a plethora of program firsts, the final game of the 2026 regular season was no different. #4 Saint Leo University women's lacrosse team defeated #9 Lynn University, 17-8 in the regular season finale. The win set a new program record for wins in a season with 14 and a record for SSC wins with six as the team finished second in the SSC for the first time ever.
Holly Hill recorded her 100th point with her first goal of the game, becoming the first Lion in program history to record a 100+ points in a season. The Lions closed out the regular season 14-3 overall and 6-1 in SSC play. Lynn ends the regular season 9-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
Saint Leo will await the results from the first round of the 2026 SSC championship to see who their semifinal opponent will be. Wednesday's win extended the senior classes win total as this group of Lions will leave Saint Leo as the winningest class in program history.
A few key numbers stood out for Saint Leo.
Holly Hill powered the offense with two goals and seven assists,
Isabella Gebinine controlled the draw with 10 draw controls, and the Lions dominated possession with a 20-7 edge in draw controls.
Natalie Jones led the attack with four goals,
Sophia Wood and
Jana Nuss each scored three times.
Holly Hill and
Grace DeWitt found the back of the net twice each as
Anna Wood,
Marina Dean, and
Sophia Santella scored once each.
#4 SAINT LEO 17, #9 LYNN 8
Saint Leo came out in control from the opening draw and built a commanding lead in the first quarter, with
Isabella Gebinine setting the tone by winning the first five draw controls of the game.
Natalie Jones opened the scoring on a free-position goal at 13:53, and after a few empty possessions,
Holly Hill found the back of the net off a
Jana Nuss assist to make it 2-0 with 8:00 left.
Grace DeWitt scored just 41 seconds later off a feed from Hill, and Jones added another from Hill at 4:49.
Sophia Santella pushed the lead to 5-0 at 4:02 before Lynn got on the board with 3:17 remaining. The Lions answered immediately as Hill scored again at 3:00, then Hill assisted
Sophia Wood for a goal at 1:49 before Wood added another 27 seconds later to cap an 8-1 opening quarter.
Lynn opened the second quarter with a goal from Elizabeth Clagett at 11:47, but Saint Leo answered again behind its top scorers. Jones finished a
Holly Hill assist at 9:44,
Jana Nuss scored off another Hill feed at 6:32, and after Lynn pulled back within 10-3 on Rebecca Clark's goal, Jones struck again off Hill at 4:27. Nuss then scored unassisted at 3:38 to give the Lions a 12-3 advantage. Lynn added one more in the final minutes, but Saint Leo still carried a strong 12-4 lead into halftime.
The Fighting Knights made their best push in the third quarter. Clagett scored at 11:44 to trim the margin to seven, and after a stretch of scoreless play,
Marina Dean converted a free-position attempt at 3:39. Just 36 seconds later, Nuss added a man-up goal off Hill's seventh assist of the day to make it 14-5. Lynn did not go away, getting goals from Ella Timperio at 1:42 and Zoe Stewart at 0:50, but
Anna Wood slipped in a goal at 1:29 to keep Saint Leo comfortably in front, 15-7, heading to the fourth.
Saint Leo closed the door early in the fourth.
Sophia Wood scored a man-up goal just 32 seconds into the period to make it 16-7, and
Grace DeWitt added the Lions' final goal at 8:50 for a 17-7 lead. Lynn scored once more on Zoe Stewart's goal with 1:00 left, but the Lions were firmly in control the rest of the way and finished off the 17-8 conference win.
Inside the Numbers
UP NEXT
Saint Leo will wait to find out its semifinal round opponent in 2026 SSC Championship. The game will be played at Jody Luihn Family Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on April 23.
For all the latest information about Saint Leo women's lacrosse, follow @SaintLeoWLAX on Twitter and Instagram.
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