No. 7 Men's Lacrosse Falls at Saint Leo in 2017 Opener, 14-11
Box Score
SAINT LEO, Fla. (Feb. 3, 2017) - On Friday night, the No. 7/8 LIU Post men's lacrosse team kicked off the 2017 campaign with a 14-11 loss to Saint Leo University at University Turf in Saint Leo.
Down 3-2 midway through the first period, the Pioneers (0-1) reeled off five unanswered goals at even strength to take a 6-3 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter.
Freshman midfielder
Austin Guerrina (Longwood, Fla.) evened the score with back-to-back goals. Sophomore attackman/midfielder
Frank Ranfone (Guilford, Conn.) provided the go-ahead tally.
The green and gold eventually brought a 9-6 edge into halftime, and later held a 10-7 lead in the third quarter.
However, the Lions (1-0) went on a 7-0 run to rally for the victory. Junior attackman Kyle Pauwels (Kamloops, British Columbia) and sophomore attackman Charlie Kurtenbach (Issaquah, Wash.) each netted a pair of goals in the burst.
The Pioneers owned a 39-27 advantage in shots in the contest and won 16-of-29 (55.2 percent) faceoffs. They were also 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) on clears and 2-of-5 (40.0 percent) on extra-man opportunities.
In his collegiate debut, Guerrina had three goals and an assist for four points. Junior midfielder
Dylan Harned (Selden, N.Y.) and junior attackman
Chris Trasacco (Cheshire, Conn.) netted two goals apiece.
Between the pipes, senior goalie
Matthew Liantonio (Miller Place, N.Y.) made six saves in the effort for LIU Post. Sophomore netminder Thomas Tatarian (Shoreham, N.Y.) stopped 14 shots for Saint Leo.
Head Coach
John Jez and the Pioneers return to action Monday (Feb. 6), when they face Florida Southern College in a non-conference showdown at 2 p.m. in Lakeland.