MELBOURNE, Fla. – Florida Tech men's lacrosse team took down a Top-20 opponent at home on Saturday afternoon, defeating No.18 Saint Leo 10-8. The Panthers responded after being down 3-1, making a run to pull ahead and never let the lead slip away to earn their second straight conference victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 10, #18 Saint Leo 8
Records: Florida Tech (3-5, 2-0 SSC) | #18 Saint Leo (6-2, 0-1 SSC)
Locations: Rick Stottler Field | Melbourne, Fla.
FIRST QUARTER:
- Saint Leo jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as the Lions scored less than one minute into the contest.
- Griffin Martin found the back of the net with 4:37 remaining to tie it up.
- Neither team was able to get another past each other's defense, led by both goalies. Jax Francisco recorded four saves for Tech, while Chase Strait tallied five for the Lions.
SECOND QUARTER:
- Saint Leo scored two straight goals in two and a half minutes to take a 3-1 lead with 12:32 left in the second period.
- Tech responded with a 3-0 run to end the half with a one-goal lead, 4-3.
- Ben Foster got the run started with a man-up goal assisted by Collin Stewart.
- Nate Deplancke scored his first of the game off a feed from Martin to tie it up, 3-3 with 4:19 on the clock.
- With 1:39 to go, Cam McKee found Luke Policke for the go-ahead goal.
- Jax Francisco came up with a big save as the buzzer sounded to take a one-goal lead into the break.
THIRD QUARTER:
- Joe Coveleski increased Tech's lead to 5-3 off an assist from Andrew Walenty with 12:22 to go.
- SLU fought back scoring two straight to once again tie it up, 5-5.
- Cam McKee and Cam Johnson each added unassisted tallies, with an SLU goal sandwiched in between, to remain one-goal up heading into the final frame.
FOURTH QUARTER:
- Tech scored three consecutive goals in the first five minutes to open the final frame and build their lead to 10-6 with 10 minutes to go.
- Martin posted his second of the day 40 seconds in before Deplancke scored his second of the game on a man-up opportunity assisted by Zach Rozgonyi.
- Collin Stewart capped off the Panther's run on a man-up off a feed from Jakob Terpak.
- The Lions tried to come back from the four-goal deficit, scoring the final two goals, but it was too little too late as Tech earned its second straight conference win.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- Florida Tech out shot SLU 34-32 and recorded fewer turnovers (21-19).
- Saint Leo collected more ground balls (26-21) and won 16-22 face offs.
- Florida Tech went 25-of-28 on clears, while SLU went 20-of-23.
- Florida Tech went 3-4 on man-up opportunities, while Saint Leo was 1-3.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Florida Tech stands at 6-7 all-time against Saint Leo.
- This marks the fourth time Tech has started 2-0 in SSC play in program history and the second time under third-year head coach Brad McArthur.
- Jax Francisco tied his career-high with 16 saves.
- Francisco becomes the fourth goalie in program history with 10 or more career wins.
- With his two points in the win, Nate Deplancke is now at 70 career points, which moves him past Charlie Morrissette (2014-2017) into 10th place on the program's career points list.
UP NEXT: Florida Tech returns to action Saturday, March 30 when they head to Winter Park, Fla. to take on #5 Rollins at 5 p.m.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men's lacrosse team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
