SAINT LEO, Fla. — Florida Southern College men's lacrosse (2-8, 1-2 SSC) fell to No. 14 Saint Leo University (7-3, 3-0 SSC) in a tightly contested 15–13 matchup on Wednesday. Despite winning 18 faceoffs and securing 29 ground balls, the Moccasins were unable to overcome a late surge by the Lions, who scored six goals in the fourth quarter. Florida Southern's offensive effort included nine assists, but it was not enough to hold off the home team.
Junior
Maddux Walton led the offensive effort with four goals and an assist, taking eight shots with four on target. Senior
Jacob Czyz controlled the face-off circle, winning 16 of 26 faceoffs (.615), which contributed significantly to maintaining possession. Freshman
Elijah Terry added three goals and an assist, converting four of his six shots on goal. Sophomore
Noah Courter contributed with two goals, both unassisted, from three shots on target.
Sophomore
Luke Secreti played all 60 minutes in goal for the Mocs as he made 11 saves in the loss to lead the defense. Sophomore
Luke Hawrish-Blight led the team with a pair of caused turnovers while junior
Alex Haughn picked up four ground balls to compliment Czyz's team-high 10.
Florida Southern took control early in the first quarter, with senior
Nolan Tighe netting the first goal at 9:52, assisted by freshman
Jack Kennedy. This was followed by a successful faceoff win that set the tone for the remainder of the quarter.
Terry extended the Moccasins' lead with two consecutive goals, the first at 3:29 with an assist from senior
Jack Epley, and another unassisted at 2:41. The Lions responded with goals by John Raucci at 1:47 and Aidan Knoetgen at 0:30, but Florida Southern maintained its advantage. The quarter concluded with the Moccasins leading 3–2.
Saint Leo opened the second quarter with a goal from Ben Baker, assisted by Knoetgen, immediately putting pressure on Florida Southern. Despite the Lions' strong opening, the Moccasins responded swiftly. Walton capitalized on a ground ball pickup by scoring, narrowing the gap. Kennedy, assisted by senior
Caiden Wiech, then added another, bringing Florida Southern back into contention.
The Lions briefly pulled ahead with a goal from Josh Peluse, but the Moccasins' Hawrish-Blight, assisted by Epley, quickly evened the score. Walton continued to be instrumental, scoring again with an assist from freshman
Brady Schnurr, pushing Florida Southern into the lead. Despite a late goal from Saint Leo's Anderson Smith, Walton's efforts ensured the Moccasins kept pace, closing the quarter with the score at 7–6.
Florida Southern opened the third quarter with momentum, as Czyz won the faceoff, leading to an extended possession. Despite early challenges, including a blocked shot and a missed opportunity by Walton, they capitalized with Walton scoring at 9:37 with an assist from Terry, extending their lead.
Continuing their offensive pressure, the Moccasins added two more goals. Courter scored at 6:15, followed by freshman
Angus Walko's goal just seconds later, assisted by Czyz, pushing the lead further. Though the Lions responded with three goals in quick succession, cutting the deficit, Florida Southern maintained composure.
In the final seconds, Courter scored again, sealing the quarter with a goal at the five-second mark. The Moccasins ended the third quarter leading 11–9, holding a two-goal advantage heading into the final quarter.
Florida Southern started the fourth quarter with a successful faceoff by Czyz, leading to an early ground ball pickup by Walko. However, Walko's turnover allowed Saint Leo to capitalize with a goal by Greg Palmer, assisted by Knoetgen, cutting the deficit to 11–10. Minutes later, the Lions tied the game with another goal by Smith, assisted by Palmer.
Despite the setback, the Moccasins answered with a goal by Terry, assisted by Walton, giving FSC back the lead at 12–11. Saint Leo quickly responded with three consecutive goals, pushing the score to 14–12 in its favor. Walton found the net with an assist from Walko to bring the score closer at 14–13.
In the final moments, Smith scored once more to solidify the Lions' lead at 15–13. Florida Southern's attempts to recover, including a late faceoff win by Czyz, were not enough to alter the outcome. The quarter ended with Saint Leo holding a 15–13 advantage.
Smith led the Lions' attack with a standout performance, scoring seven goals on ten shots and securing the game-winning goal. Palmer contributed significantly to the team's offensive efforts with two goals and two assists. Knoetgen added depth to the offense, tallying two goals and three assists.
Looking ahead, Florida Southern will host Lynn at Berend Field in Lakeland, Florida, on Saturday, April 4. The game is set to begin at 5 p.m.
