MELBOURNE, Fla. – It was going to take a 60-minute effort for Florida Tech women's lacrosse to beat one of the nation's best in their Sunshine State Conference opener at Rick Stottler Field on Saturday night and while the Panthers did provide, they learned just how much it takes to accomplish such a feat. Saint Leo's 6-0 run over a 7:07 stretch in the third quarter ultimately proved the difference despite a late push from Tech as the No. 6 Lions outlasted the Panthers, 17-14.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: No. 20 Florida Tech 17, No. 6 Saint Leo 14
Records: No. 20 Florida Tech (4-7, 0-1 SSC) | No. 6 Saint Leo (10-1, 1-0 SSC)
Locations: Rick Stottler Field | Melbourne, Fla.

FIRST QUARTER: 

• After winning the opening draw, the Panthers went right to work, taking the lead after just 17 seconds through Gillian Craig.
• Tech doubled their lead nearly a minute later as Sofie Bender found Caroline Finn in front of goal to make it 2-0.
• Saint Leo would equalize by scoring twice in 35 seconds through Holly Hill and Natalie Jones, tying the game at 8:33.
• 62 seconds later, Craig's second of the quarter put Florida Tech back on top.
• Michaela Wittman cashed in Bender's assist at 4:20 to make it 4-2.
• Maria Palomba clawed one back for the Lions at 1:48.
• In the final minute of the quarter, Carly Niro scored her fourth goal of the season to give the Crimson and Gray a two-goal advantage going to the second.

SECOND QUARTER: 

• At 14:19, Josey Storm scored the first of Saint Leo's seven free-position goals for the game,
• They wouldn't have to wait long for the second, as Sophia Wood did so 35 seconds later to level the game at five.
• At 9:21, Charlotte Hardie rebounded Craig's free position attempt to put the Panthers back in front.
• Nearly two and a half minutes later, following a Tech turnover, Natalie Jones converted Hill's feed to tie the game.
• At 2:03, Clara Gallapoo's free position goal gave the Lions their first lead of the night, one they would take to the intermission.

THIRD QUARTER: 

• Florida Tech had the best possible start to the second half, scoring four times in the first 4:16 with three of them in the first 1:37.
• Sophia Scichilone started the rally with her first of the game at 14:01.
• After winning the ensuing draw, Scichilone returned the favor by setting up Clare McGuire to put the Crimson and Gray back in front, 8-7 at 13:36.
• The next sequence saw McGuire do it all as she won the draw and then promptly scored.
• Finn capped the run 2:41 later to give the Panthers a 10-7 lead.
• SLU stated their intent almost immediately with Palmoba's free position goal 36 seconds later to cut the deficit to 10-8 at 10:08.
• Saint Leo won the draw and converted 35 seconds later through Ava Valenti.
• Palomba made it a hat trick at 7:56 to knot the game at 10.
• The Lions took the lead back at 4:52 after tying it with Wood finishing on the free position. She completed her hat trick 48 seconds later.
• SLU's turnaround was capped at 3:01 on Hill's second goal of the night, this one coming from the free position.
• Tech gave themselves some life going to the fourth quarter thanks to Scichilone's free position goal cutting the deficit to 13-11.

 
FOURTH QUARTER: 

• 1:11 into the final frame, Scichilone found Bender to make it a one-goal game.
• Palomba's fourth of the game 38 seconds later gave Saint Leo some breathing room, 14-12.
• She would add further insurance at 5:39 with another free position goal to increase the Lion lead to 15-12.
• Florida Tech gave one final push as Bender and Phoebe Hurt scored within 1:02 of each other to shrink the margin to 15-14.
• The Crimson and Gray won the ensuing draw but were unable to capitalize.
• Storm put the game away with a goal with 42 seconds remaining and Palomba scored her third of the quarter with a long-distance shot as time expired.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS: 

• Clare McGuire led Tech on the day with two goals, 10 draw controls, and a ground ball.
• Sophia Scichilone provided two goals and three assists.
• Sofie Bender added two goals and two assists.
• Caroline Finn scored twice and nabbed three ground balls.
• Gillian Craig scored twice for her 10^th consecutive multi-point game.  
• Phoebe Hurt contributed a goal, an assist, a caused turnover, a ground ball, and two draw controls.
• Michaela Wittman scored for a second consecutive goal while also winning four draws.
• Charlotte Hardie pitched in with a goal, a caused turnover, and three draw controls.
• Mackenzie Smith added two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
• Bridget Robinson tallied seven saves in 46:49 of action.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech ended with more shots (32-28), caused turnovers (6-4), draw controls (19-15), and ground balls (13-10).
• Saint Leo had the advantage in shots on goal (24-23).  
• The Panthers were 9-10 on the clears, while the Lions were 12-14.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 4-7 all-time against Saint Leo, including 2-3 in Melbourne.
• Sophia Scichilone's two goals give her 93 for her career, tying her with Mary Gormley (2015-2018) for ninth in program history.
• Gillian Craig's two goals bring her total to 30 on the season, setting a new career high. 
• Clare McGuire's 10 draw controls are tied for the eighth most in a game in program history.

 
UP NEXT: The Panthers will be back on the field next Saturday, March 29 in Winter Park for a Sunshine State Conference matchup at No. 14 Rollins. The opening draw is scheduled for 7:30 P.M.
 
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