BY JACOB STOUT
Lion’s Pride Sports Writer

The Saint Leo Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams each fell at home on Wednesday September 23. In the first game of the night, the Men’s team lost a close one, 1-0, to the visiting Flagler College Saints in front of a crowd of 381 at University Field. The Saint Leo Women’s team rounded out the night with a valiant effort but came out on the losing end of a 3-2 game with the Rollins College Tars.

On a hot, humid day in Saint Leo, Florida, the Men’s soccer team was not able to find the back of the net. After giving up an early goal, the Lions proceeded to pressure the Flagler defense but put few shots on goal. Conor Kileen of the Saints provided all the scoring of the night on an assist by Mack Hough in the 5th minute of the game. Saint Leo dominated the night on paper but, after 90 minutes of soccer, walked away in defeat. The chances came throughout the night for the Lions including seven corner kicks and 23 shots. Of those 23 shots though, only three of them were put on goal and the Saints’ GK, Matt Gilman saved all of them. Junior midfielder, Jonathan Glenn and sophomore defender Ruud Van Der Sar led all players with five shots each. However, only Van Der Sar and freshman midfielder Jason Manaras were able to test the keeper.

The second half saw a few yellow cards given to the Saints and Saint Leo tried to get on the board. In the 60th minute Manaras gave Gilman his first work of the night which the keeper handled easily. The Lions failed to get another shot on goal until the 83rd minute when Van Der Sar recorded his first shot on goal and again tried to equalize in the 87th minute, when Gilman made his third and final save of the night.

Flagler totaled six shots, three of which were on goal. The Saints also had one corner kick and 21 fouls to the Lions 16 fouls. Flagler was also caught offside five times to Saint Leo’s two times.
Once the sun had gone down, the Saint Leo Women’s soccer team took the field against conference foe, Rollins College. Lion’s sophomore forward, Jasmine Johnson got the scoring started in the 16th minute with her second goal of the season. Another sophomore forward, Pia Soesemann, along with junior forward, Chrissy Darwell, assisted on the play. Each gathered their second assist of the season on the play.

A mere minute later, the visiting Tars became level with a header from Rachel Jakubowski. A foul by Saint Leo allowed Chelsea Brady to cross the ball into the box from a free kick in a dangerous position. A leaping Jakubowski headed the ball just inside the near post past a diving Lion’s keeper, Christina Coca. That concluded the scoring for the first half and Rollins had controlled the game so far. The Tars attempted seven shots to the Lions two and had four corner kicks to the Lions one in the first 45 minutes.

13 minutes into the second half, senior forward, Hannah Beard’s third goal of the season put Saint Leo on top 2-1. Sophomore defender Aija Bent-Trinder collected her first assist of the season on the goal for the Lions.

The Tars again tied the game in the 65th minute on an unassisted goal by Elise Spearing. Another goal in the 73rd minute put Rollins in the lead for good. Chelsea Brady’s second assist of the game, finished by a Charlotte Murrell header, made it 3-2. Saint Leo tried to find another goal but could only manage the one shot in the second half.

A disappointing performance saw the Rollins Tars outshoot the Lions 15-3 over the 90 minutes. They also won more corner kicks, nine, to Saint Leo’s three. Leah Hirsch of the Tars led the way with four shots.

The men’s team dropped to 3-3 overall, while the Saint Leo women’s team fell to 2-1-1 on the year.