SAINT LEO, Fla. – For the first time in his career, junior Virgilio Escala has been named the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, announced by the league on Tuesday afternoon.

Escala helped the Lions go 2-0 this past week in non-conference play. The Panama native recorded two goals and three assists. During Thursday's 3-2 victory over Emmanuel, he assisted junior Luis Gaitan on the opening goal of the game followed by scoring a goal in the 63rd minute to give the Green & Gold a 2-1 advantage. On Saturday, in the 3-1 win against Mars Hill, Escala once again assisted Gaitan on the first goal of the contest. He also dished out an assist to junior Juan Jimenez in the 48th minute before scoring the insurance goal that gave the Lions a 3-1 lead.

Escala is the first Lion to be named the SSC Offensive Player of the Week since 2022.

Saint Leo will return to action on Thursday, September 10 as it hosts Florida Southern in a non-conference game at 7 p.m.