SAINT LEO, Fla. – Following a nearly two hour delay, the Saint Leo men's soccer team delivered a statement victory Friday night, defeating No. 17 Florida Southern, 4-3, in a thrilling non-conference matchup at Jodi Luihn Family Stadium. This marks the first time since 2022 that the Lions have defeated a top-25 team.
The Lions (3-1-1) used a four-goal offensive outburst to build a commanding advantage before holding off a furious late comeback attempt by the Mocs. Saint Leo outshot Florida Southern 12-14 overall while putting seven shots on target.
Saint Leo opened the scoring in the 34th minute when junior
Pietro Botasso found the back of the net off an assist from classmate
Virgilio Escala, sending the Lions into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
The Lions came out firing after the break, scoring three times in a span of just five minutes and 21 seconds to turn a one-goal lead into a 4-0 advantage.
Junior
Luis Gaitan doubled the Saint Leo lead in the 56th minute, with Escala once again providing the assist. Just under three minutes later, junior
Viktor Danielsson made it 3-0 with his second goal of the season. Gaitan then struck again in the 61st minute to complete his brace and give the Lions a four-goal cushion. The brace marked Gaitan's first of his career.
Florida Southern refused to go quietly, however, mounting a late comeback in the final 10 minutes. The Mocs added another goal in the 88th minute to make it a one-goal game with just over two minutes remaining.
Saint Leo's defense held firm over the closing minutes, keeping the Moccasins off the scoreboard to secure the 4-3 victory.
Gaitan led the Lions offensively with two goals on three shots, all of which were on target. Botasso added a goal, while Danielsson contributed one goal. Escala finished with two assists, while goalkeeper
Vincent Fournier made two saves in the victory.
With the win, Saint Leo improves to 3-1-1 on the season and hands No. 17 Florida Southern its first loss of the season.
The Lions return to the pitch on Wednesday, September 16 as they host Tampa in thier first conference game of the season
