Saint Leo University Athletics

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The sixth-ranked and four-seed Saint Leo University women's lacrosse team took to the field for an NCAA tournament game the first time in program history. After 12 days off, the Lions has no issue taking down the Young Harris Mountain Lions, 19-11 in the first round. Senior Sophia Wood led the team with five goals as she set a new program single season record with 62 goals in a season. Saint Leo continues to set a new program record with wins in a season, improving to 15-4 overall.

POST GAME INTERVIEW: Head Coach Caitlin Hansen, Sophia Wood, & Meredith Eitel

Holly Hill led the Saint Leo offense with seven points on three goals and four assists while converting on her lone free-position attempt. Sophia Wood paced all scorers with five goals and added four draw controls and a caused turnover. Alexandra Bushey recorded the first hat trick of her career, doubling her season goal total with three scores while adding two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Jana Nuss added three goals and two draw controls, while Anna Wood contributed a goal, four draw controls, two ground balls, and a caused turnover. Grace DeWitt scored once and secured three draw controls, while Natalie Jones, Sophia Santella, and Emma Buthorn also found the back of the net. Ava Calloway chipped in an assist.

Defensively, Briana Bellando led the Lions with three ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Meredith Eitel added three ground balls of her own. Parker Surace recorded two caused turnovers, and Isabella Gebinine contributed three draw controls to help Saint Leo dominate possession throughout the afternoon. Jessica Harclerode anchored the cage with another strong performance while the Lions finished with 19 goals and 24 total points as a team.
 
#6 SAINT LEO 19, YOUNG HARRIS 11

• Saint Leo came out firing in the opening quarter, building an early 2-0 lead behind goals from Holly Hill and Jana Nuss while generating consistent offensive pressure with multiple shots hitting the post. Hill opened the scoring on a free-position goal before Nuss extended the advantage midway through the frame.
• The momentum shifted after Young Harris requested a stick check following Nuss' goal, resulting in a yellow card assessed to Isabella Gebinine for an illegal stick. The Mountain Lions capitalized on the extended woman-up opportunity with three straight goals in less than a minute to take a 3-2 lead.
• The Lions quickly answered as Sophia Wood scored twice in the final 2:22 of the quarter, including a late strike off an assist from Hill with 31 seconds remaining, to send Saint Leo into the second quarter with a 4-3 advantage.
• Saint Leo seized control in the second quarter, outscoring Young Harris 7-2 to take a commanding 10-5 lead into halftime. Holly Hill opened the scoring in the period before assisting Natalie Jones moments later as the Lions began to pull away.
• Sophia Wood added a pair of goals in the quarter, including the final tally of the half with 26 seconds remaining. Grace DeWitt found the back of the net for her first goal of the night.
• After Young Harris cut the deficit to 5-4 on a woman-up goal, the Green & Gold responded with a 5-0 run fueled by draw control dominance and caused turnovers from Briana Bellando and Sophia Wood. Saint Leo continued to generate quality chances throughout the quarter, striking multiple posts while forcing the Mountain Lions into several failed clears.
• Saint Leo put the game out of reach in a dominant third quarter, exploding for seven goals to extend its lead to 17-7 entering the final frame. After Young Harris opened the third quarter with a free-position goal, Jana Nuss answered with a pair of scores to spark a massive Lions run.
• Alexandra Bushey entered the day with three goals on the season. In the third quarter, she made an immediate impact with two goals and a caused turnover, including a transition finish off a caused turnover she created herself. Anna Wood and Sophia Santella also found the back of the net during the surge, while Holly Hill capped the quarter with a goal in the final minute. Hill added two assists in the period, helping fuel an offense that scored six unanswered goals in just over seven minutes.
• Defensively, the Lions continued to force mistakes with caused turnovers from Marina Dean, Parker Surace, Meredith Eitel, and Bushey, while controlling possession through key draw controls from Anna Wood, Sophia Wood, and Jana Nuss.
• Saint Leo continued to pour on the offense in the fourth quarter, pushing its lead to as many as 12 goals en route to a 19-11 victory. Emma Buthorn opened the scoring less than a minute into the frame before Alexandra Bushey added her third goal of the night off an assist from Ava Calloway.
• The hat trick performance doubled Bushey's season goal total, giving her six on the year.
• Young Harris responded with four goals in the quarter, but the Lions' defense and possession control kept the Mountain Lions from mounting a serious comeback.
• Jordan Rose entered the game in the fourth quarter and made a pair of saves in goal while Grace DeWitt secured multiple draw controls to help Saint Leo close out the NCAA Tournament opening-round victory.

Inside the Numbers

• 62: Sophia Wood set a new single season record for goals in a season
• 119: Isabella Gebinine now sits with 119 draw controls on the season
• 51: Saint Leo recorded 51 shots, one shy of the program record, which also came against Young Harris (3/12/19)
• 9: Saint Leo saw goals from 9 different players: Sophia Wood (5), Jana Nuss (3), Holly Hill (3), Alexandra Bushey (3), and Anna Wood, Sophia Santella, Grace DeWitt, Natalie Jones, and Emma Buthorn all tallied a goal
• 15: Extends the program record for most wins in a season

UP NEXT
Saint Leo advances to the second round of the regional and will face the two-seed and top-ranked Flagler College Saints at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.